run #75

Due to a psychological exam in Denver this afternoon, I took the day off. Used the time wisely to get in a decent long run. Was gonna push on for 20, but I've been battling a cold lately, and figured it would be wise not to push it too much. Ended up finding a pretty cool half marathon loop from my front yard though.

Some of the Springs runners know this place - coming through America the Beautiful park, across the bridge, the route you hafta take because of the detour. So I'm on the bridge, which is a pederstian bridge and gets bikers and runners/walkers. But at this time of the morning I'm the only soul in sight. But on the other end of the bridge, where you take a left and continue south on the Fountain Creek trail, there's a Colorado highway worker holding one of those stop/slow signs! And I have the stop sign! So as I approach her she asks if I'm going left. I say yes. And she changes the sign to slow! Holy crap, really glad I pay my takes here in Colorado, gotta support them hard working state employees!

Later on in my run, just after passing the Olympic Training Center and turning north onto Union, I'm in the middle of the road trying to get all the way across the street (it's a busy street and hard to get to the other side - kinda like Frogger). I actually feel good about myself because I pass a street sweeper. But in my gloating, the street sweeper, which can't see me, makes a U-turn and almost runs me over. Didn't know these things could turn on a dime like that. Wondered how horrible a death that would be.

Anywho, the stats:

Start time: 7:30AM
Distance: 13.1 miles
Time: 1:59:53 minutes
Pace: 9:09 per mile
Weather: 45F, "feels like" 40F, lots of fog