In Praise of the Wissahickon

Ran from church to Taney Park this afternoon, where T had a little league game. T was The Man at the game, hitting a 3-run homer to give the Tigers their margin of victory, 7-4.

My run started with that same weary, achy I've been feeling in my legs, but after a few miles it went away and by the time I hit MLK Dr. I felt stronger than I have in awhile, and nailed the 4 marked miles progressively faster from 7:10 to 6:50. The last mile in particular felt good as I effortlessly picked up the pace (did not sprint) to get sub 7. This is how I want to feel in the last miles of a marathon.

Otherwise the weather was pleasantly cloudy and cool, and running from Germantown always means running on a trail along the Wissahickon. Along with this babbling river and the lush greenery surrounding it, the wildlife was out today, including a beautiful pair of Orioles.

This feeling of bliss provides a stark contrast to an article I subsequently saw in today's NY Times on a "marathon" in Pakistan that was disrupted because protesters objected to having women participate alongside men. I posted the full text of the article on the Philly Runners message board.

8.5 miles in 64:36. This boosts me over 60 for the week.

http://www.rootsweb.com/~usgenweb/pa/philadelphia/postcards/ppcs-phparks.html