Two for One Deal

Today may go down in Serious Case of the Runs blogging history...two posts in one day! This one will be short(er) though :)

I was sitting at my desk, typing out a document while simultaneously trying to figure out how to squeeze in my 6-miler today, be able to enjoy the glorious weather, and get home at a reasonable hour. The only way: run outside at lunch...no treadmilling today. I gave myself an extra 15 minutes I usually don't get when I go to the gym, and just changed at work and took off from my building. Since I forgot my Garmin, I mapped out my run ahead of time. I would run the mile up from my building to the lakefront path, and then head north until Fullerton, my turnaround. It was slightly more than planned...7.02 to be exact. It was glorious outside!!

Okay, so it wasn't this gorgeous, but it sure felt like it :)

It looked more like this today:

I wish I had my camera with me today, but I didn't, so I Googled. Anywho, I had a great little run up and down the path. I was the only chick, too, the whole time. Starting at North Avenue Beach, up to Fullerton, there's a little "trail" up alongside Lake Shore Drive that I like to run on. It's completely open and only about as wide as my two feet side by side, but it's dirt and I love it (so do my joints). I even found some wet mud to glide through and splash the calves with. I had on my snobby road running shoes, and they didn't appreciate the mud, but I sure did :)

Heading back south towards the Loop, the wind picked up (as it always does on the way to home base). I was actually hot! I wore shorts, a long sleeve shirt with my Atayne 4R's short sleeve top, a light jacket and my new Headsweats hat (which may be elevated to my grouping of Most Favorite Running Gear). After the first mile, I tied my jacket around my waist, and hiked up my long sleeves. The sun felt amazing on my skin. My legs were so happy to see the sun. I rival copier paper for whiteness, and I got so much wonderful vitamin D from the ball o' light that my skin looked splotchy when I got back (almost like I got...gasp...color!).

This was no character building run, it was a fun go-outside-smell-the-roses-and-forget-everything-else run. I'm so glad I went out at lunch, because now it's cloudy and threatening to rain :)

Run along.

Paige, out.