Long Run

I did a long run today in mild temps and mostly sun. What a treat! I got to shed some layers and run in a long-sleeved T and spandex tights. (Yeah, you got it, geezer tights!)

Gray pitted snow hung on where it had been piled next to driveways--dark ugly stuff--but not as ugly as winter's detritus along Route 20A. The road looked like a mile long frat party had been there last night. The usual bottles, cans, cups and other crap slackers toss out of their vehicles. And then a boomerang.... What, we now have aborigines hunting rabbits along the country roads in Ohio?

Today's route was out of the neighborhood to the bike path, then Route 20A to Ford Street where I turned south to Sidecut Metropark. I ran the park east to west and exited at Fallen Timbers Monument with my usual ritual of touching the fence around the main monument and then the casualties, both Native American and European-American, who fought there and appear on a tarnished brass plaque attached to a stone monolith.

While near the Maumee River, I saw the first walleye fishermen of the season. They are a brash lot fishing for the larder more than the sport, yelling out to one another "Catchin' any? Whatcha usin?", chomping on stogies or smoking fags. The resident deer retreat to the woods, where the air is a bit more sweet. Some leave the park altogether. I saw one doe in a path, the rest apparently hiding from the annual ruckus covering the next 5-6 weeks. Just last week I counted over forty animals in the herd; today, the one.

Leaving the metropark, I took the footbridge over Route 24 and ran through The Shops at Fallen Timbers' parking lot, then took the shortcut to the Wabash Cannonball Bike Trail, South Branch, and headed west toward Black Road. The road was closed for The Walt Churchill Half Marathon. When I arrived the elite runners were just passing the intersection of the trail and the road, heading south. I ran north on Black Road for a while before realizing the elites had reached a turnaround point behind me and were now overtaking me. A few gave me encouragement, as if I'd gotten out in front of them! None of them looked back to see that I wore no race number. I ended up running about a mile with the racers before taking the Wabash Cannonball Bike Trail, North Branch, to the west as the racers turned east. There was a water stop just before the turn and the volunteers kindly gave me water. They were about to tell me I was turning the wrong way but I explained I was doing my own run, not the sanctioned (and timed) race. They laughed and called after me that I was welcome to the drink anyway. 

At Lose Road I turned north to Monclova Road and then west to Albon Road. Albon passes the township hall, police and fire building then is just country for a mile back north to 20A. I kept on north and cut through Breckenridge development to get up to Salisbury Road, just across from the old Salisbury Quarry. The quarry, now referred to as "The Quarry", is a gated community of ritzy houses on the cliff overlooking the deep water. Very nice views for a tired old runner. I ran east with the wind on Salisbury until I returned to Manley Road where I turned south into my neighborhood. By this time the temperature was nearly sixty with heavy west-southwest winds. I went past a few streets and around the block to home, then did a cool down lap around the same block followed by stretches.

While running with the racers, a bit more than half way through my route, I picked up my pace unconsciously as if to compete with them. It was a little depressing when the elites blew past. But then most of my last two miles I had the strong winds pushing me and, with the lighter togs, I felt pretty fast and finished with a good kick. Only later, after my shower and breakfast, did I begin the feel the 13.3 miles I put on--and that the remainder of Sunday would be essentially a rest break.