Hopped over snow and ice in Riverside Park. Sun’s so bright when it’s cold.
Very little wildlife to remark on. Canadian geese, all hunched into themselves.
The cold air burns your lungs after 10 minutes.
But I listened to Pandora with Britney Spears – that keeps you running. She’s good music to run to. “You wanna piece o’ me?”
On Saturday, I ran to the end of the 70th Street pier in Riverside Park. As I passed the kayak launch site, empty now, I wished that I could see that harbor seal again. The one with the one droopy whisker and the big black eyes.
About a year ago, Max, the doorman, told me a seal was hanging out at the boat basin. At dusk, I took the kids to see it. Our photo didn’t turn out, but there it was at the boat basin. The next week it was at the kayak launch site. It was yawning and stretching. Just lookin’ around.
We dialed 3-1-1. The animal rescue or marine biology people (or whomever 3-1-1 connected us to) said they would not come rescue it, because – from what we described, it was healthy.
After all, it was a harbor seal in a harbor. No matter that the harbor was the Hudson River.
On my weekend run this time, the only wildlife I saw were squirrels, ducks, and, I’m not sure they count – dogs. I didn’t even see one of the red-tailed hawks near the 80th street playground. They’re so vast you’d think they could swoop down and, with their talons, grab a toddler.
The best part of running in New York City is the wildlife. And when you run again, you remember.
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Yesterday, I tried to run for longer than 13 minutes.
They (http://www.fromcouchto5k.com) say you should have a goal. That is my pathetic goal.
Yesterday I made it running from my house to the georgeousness of the Riverside garden near the Hippo Park. (All of New York is measured for me in playgrounds.) I think that’s almost 20 blocks (from about 76th to about 95th).
I was so tired after 11 minutes, I had to walk around the garden. There are still bees and blooms. The beauty inspired me. I started running again. And I ran for oh, about 10 minutes.
So, I ran for 11 minutes, walked for 1 minute, ran again for 10 minutes. I’ve gotta run for longer than 13 minutes.
Here’s another goal – to run a 5K before New Year’s Day. 2010.
A week ago I ran to the end of the pier — the one around 70th in Riverside Park. I started at 75th on Riverside Drive.
I was breathing very hard. Hayden, who ran lightly beside me, told me not to breathe so heavily. He said that, “It just makes you more tired.”
“It’s all in your mind.” That’s what people tell you about running. They say, “Trick yourself when you run. Say ‘I’ll just run to the lamp post’ and then you find you’ve run to the FAR lamp post, not the NEAR lamp post.”
So a day later, I ran again. This time by myself. And I ran to the end of the pier and back. I was trying not to breathe hard. I was trying not to let the exhaustion get to me. I felt I’d doubled my distance.
This last weekend, on Saturday, I ran to the end of the pier and then back. And then to my surprise, I kept running.
I followed a guy a dozen paces ahead of me. He was at least 10 years older than me and at least 50 pounds heavier. He was sweating. I let him set the slow pace. I felt good.
I made it all the way to the women’s restroom near the boat basin. I looked at my phone. I had run for 13 minutes without stopping. I felt proud. I felt maybe I could’ve kept going.
The only problem with this new pursuit of running is that the endorphins have not kicked in yet.
I think they did kick in when running in the Adirodacks. But then the air is fresher there. The view of the mountains beautiful.
I started this blog when I started running with Deirdre and the girls. We ran upthe private road and all the way on Camp Dudley Road to the school house.
I really just took up running in search of endorphins. I’m still searching.
100 Days of Poems and Pics 