I'm a runner.

I ran 9 miles this morning, & it felt pretty good. I couldn't find a better map of the park, but here's the route I ran. I set out without a plan, more or less, except for how far I wanted to go. It was fun to explore an area {the north} of the park that I had never really been to, & it was absolutely gorgeous. There were a few stretches where I felt like I was running on the road up by the cabin- trees on each side, very quiet. It was a cool morning, a little drizzly, & really foggy. It reminded me of San Francisco actually. Or Seattle. The absence of humidity {okay, besides the rain- but the air was crisp} was so nice. I love fall.

I entered the park at 92nd Street, ran north, came back down the west side, looped around the reservoir twice, and ran back home. I didn't get terribly bored {except maybe around mile 7} because there were so many different things to look at. I saw dogs & strollers of every variety. I saw a 60 or so year old woman wearing a one-piece spandex getup {a bit snug for her 200 lb. body}. I saw a man who was sweating bubbles- he must have not cleaned off all the soap this morning from various crevices, because he literally had bubbles coming out of his shorts. Some people were sprinting. Some were shuffling. Other people literally bounced along. I saw a girl no older than 6 running along with her dad. It's fun to observe who is running & how they run {& the variety of things they do or do not wear}.

Park of my route this morning included the route of a race going on at the park today. For about a mile, I was in a pack of a few thousand of my closest friends. It gave me a strong sense of community and camaraderie, as I knew that they were all just as tired as I was. I think I love that most about running in Central Park- you're never alone, & for me, that's encouraging {not discouraging}.

When I got home, I saw that Tara had called {10:45am my time, 7:45am her time}. She answered her cell phone, in the middle of her run. I love that we were running at the same time. I'm so excited for October. Team Hudson {both by blood & by marriage} is going to have fun.