~4 miles @ ~9 min/mi

Bus-commute acquaintance Lorraine and another lady are wearing parkas and hoods against the chill northwest breezes as I run past them, sweating, in shorts and short-sleeved shirt. It's the first run after Saturday's marathon, and I stretch the old legs with an early-afternoon trio of laps around the hilly jogging path. No animals are seen in the woods, but there are plenty of pine cones and decaying leaves on the ground. A seed pod spirals down and hits me in the eye. A runner going in the "wrong" direction on the trail greets me. As planned my miles accelerate: 9:21 to 8:11 to 7:24, that last at near-top-speed. One sock develops a hole in the heel and I throw it away when I get back to the dressing room.

^z - 2009-12-04