Washed away

Today I headed out with Paul and Frank for a reverse Diamond Rock run. The forecast in the Philadelphia region (and most of the mid-Atlantic, for that matter) has been rain, rain, and more rain. We are expected to get somewhere in the vicinity of 3 inches, although I've heard rumors that other areas are expected to get more. It's pretty crazy when you think about all that water just hanging suspended in the sky, waiting for the right conditions to dump all over the earth. We headed up the hill on Howell Rd. against the current that was flowing down, in some places it was fast enough to generate some whitewater in the gullies on the side of the road. Wild.

I thought about the sporadic mud and creeks from Tuesday and how it was better to jump in feet first, rather than spend an entire run trying to avoid it. Well there was no avoiding the mud today. At the top of the hill we turned onto a portion of the Horseshoe Trail and there was definitely no shortage of mud or leaves. I thought about the beers and wings I had last night. I thought about the beer I used to drink in college and the beer I drink now. How could one case of beer logically cost 11 dollars? Incredible. Now the craft beers in the region are charging over 40 for a case. I thought about how we would drink from a keg one night and then show up to 6AM practice on the river in the middle of winter not even a half step slower. Now, I can't even have 2-3 beers without feeling a little sluggish the next morning. But running has a habit of washing those impurities away, both physically and mentally. Get through the first 10 minutes of a run and I will always feel looser and more energetic than I did 10 minutes before heading out the door. Every run might not be a PR, but you can always find your groove if you look hard enough. I was content to hang back from Paul and just let my mind wander as I meandered through the woods. It's a soothing act of meditation.

A quick jump in the curbside stream and at least my shoes were cleaned off before heading back inside. About 7.4 miles in 66:48.