Day 54 - A Date with 16 Miles

Today's scheduled run: 0 miles (technically a rest day)

Today's completed run: 16.06 miles (the long run technically scheduled for tomorrow)
Pace: 8:55 (avg.)

I'm so excited about this run, for obvious reasons. I had the chance to explore new neighborhoods on this run, which is great. Baltimore isn't a gigantic city, and there are places you don't want to run, so mapping out 16 miles is no small task. Still, if your only reference for Baltimore is The Wire, I'm sorry. All of the things you see on that show do happen here, as well as in most other cities, but Baltimore has so much more to offer and enjoy than drug deals and homicides. What I love about running here is that there's always something to look at, which keeps it exciting and keeps my mind off the fact that I can no longer feel my legs. I also love that most people say hello to one another.

My run took me through downtown and out towards a fairly well-known park in the city (Patterson Park), which is just a few blocks southeast of Johns Hopkins Hospital. I'm pretty sure you've heard of that, no matter where you're from. I ran halfway around the park and headed south toward the water, ran a fairly long route along the water, and headed out to Ft. McHenry. I made the loop at the Fort and then headed home, past Ravens stadium. It was such a perfect day weatherwise, and I was glad to be out running and enjoying it. I also used my Nike hydration belt for the first time, which was great. In the past, I have run with a CamelBak, but for such a long run, it was nice to have water and Powerade available. I also felt a little more legit, which counts for something.

As I left this morning, I discovered that my Garmin 405 had been delivered, making me feel even more legit. However, I wasn't able to use it because I needed to get out the door, and it ships without a charge. I might take it for a short spin tomorrow morning, but that depends on whether I can get out of bed or not. Either way, I'm very excited to use it, whenever that happens. As an added bonus, it's green, which is a fun color. I can't really wear green, because it clashes with my complexion and makes me look ill; so I enjoy having accessories in green. I know you were wondering.

I'm already in bed, enjoying my heated mattress pad, which I've been thinking about all day. So, until tomorrow...