Blustery Day

What odd weather for April! This morning was all sunny and sparkly, seemingly a perfect day to be outside, except for a very strong, cold wind. So in spite of the fact that I was running in lightweight shorts and shimmel just the other day, it was long compression shorts and a long-sleeved wicking shirt today. But at least with cooler weather, I didn't have to take water with me. My fuel belt sometimes aggravates my hip, so I try not to wear it unless I have to.

Today I wore my GPS and did some more scouting on the new bayou trails. This time I made sure to stay on the trail that looked like it went to the downtown University of Houston campus. I was correct that this was where it would end up, and I got to see some ducks along the way, too. There weren't many of them, but I hope they're busy making baby ducks so that one day there will be whole flocks of them along the way. That would be fun to see.

I'm not sure how accurate my mileage read was through the new section of trail because the trail meanders under a lot of the elevated freeways, blocking my signal. But that was cool too-- bayou below, trails going down to the water, alternate trails going up to just below the street, stairs going all the way up to the street, freeway overhead… I don't know why I find such multi-layered activity interesting, but I do.

I just can't get over how clean, attractive and pleasant these new trails are. There were other runners on them this morning, as well as a few walkers and mountain bikers. I hope enough of us use them and advocate for their upkeep that they stay nice. I think they're part of some larger plan by the city to do something similar to San Antonio's Riverwalk with our bayou. Crazy idea, that. It's one thing to walk or run along the bayou, but honestly I can't imagine wanting to sit next to it (especially in one of our summers!) and eat a meal. But we'll see what happens.

One of the trails put me almost directly behind the place I worked twenty years ago. What memories that brought back! It was my first time out from under the restrictions of school and parents, and everything was new and shiny and begging to be explored. I hardly knew what to do or grab at first, but I was determined to experience everything all at once or die trying. I must have been terribly obnoxious. But it was so much fun! I think everyone has a summer like that.

And then we get a little older, gain a few experiences, and not every little thing is infused with the magic of being new and full of strange and exciting possibilities. We seek out long-term satisfactions instead of the intoxicating whim of the moment. But we can all still take a childlike delight in the things that matter. Things like glorious spring days full of sunshine, flowers and yes, maybe a brisk, cold wind, just to keep us from getting complacent.

Recent Workouts
Saturday: 60 minute elliptical, 10.5 mile run
Friday: scheduled rest day
Thursday: 20 minute spin, 30 minute elliptical