Running into July 6/29-7/5

[mudmucker]

Ran my first ever race this morning, and it was fantastic! A 10k, and the miles just flew by... and I managed to meet all my goals (1. finish 2. not be last in my age group 3. do it in about 1 hour (1:00.42)). And I know I could have done it faster-- I had plenty left in the tank...

Some of the coolest things: the live band playing on the porch of a stately mansion on the route, and the dixieland jazz band playing at the turn-around. The spectators drinking coffee in their bathrobes, and the women in their derby hats drinking mimosas as we went by their homes. The most not-cool thing: finding myself rightbehind a shirtless guy who had a huge tattoo of a naked woman on his back.... Oh well, it was good motivation to speed up and pass him!

And now I can't wait to do this again!

+1 on the way to go. I like your notes on the cool things...

On my run today we (my running buddy and I) stopped to watch some pine grosbeaks picking bugs off of a snow patch. I'm entertained most by simple things like that. Not sure what that says about my simple little brain...

I would've stopped to watch a pine grosbeak too. But then, I am an avid birder but pine grosbeaks are few and far between where I am. I'll see one every once in a great while every 4 years or so usually when we get a winter irruption from the north.

Nothing to do with running, but right now I'm watching a mother red-bellied woodpecker feed her baby with seeds and suet from my feeder. They're so cute!

Again as a birder, in way past years I never saw many red-bellies where I live. Seems in the last few years I've been seeing more. I've heard that some of the expert birders are saying they think the northern extent of their home range has expanded a little further. But I've not seen breeding with young. The prize I have in my yard are breeding yellow-bellied sapsuckers.