Distance: 9.00 mi
Time: 01:07:42/7:31 ppm
I parked at the Sardis lot, as usual, but started by running up Sardis towards the Boyce trails right past Charlotte Christian. I now realize that any time I run in the Boyce trails, my Garmin is going to report some slow times, so despite the reading of 7:40 for mile one and 7:52 for mile two, I knew I had gotten off to a decent clip. That was the plan for today - keep the pace honest and steady. Not too slow or too quick, maybe throw in a fast mile at the end if the system feels up for it.
As I approached the park, I noticed a group of Hispanic males scaling the hill from the Monroe Road bridge..then a group of several more, with children, walking towards the park...then several more...and by then, I was about to enter the park and could tell there was some sort of gathering taking place. When I was closer I upgraded this occasion from a "gathering" to a "very large festival." There must have been 10,000 Hispanic people at McAlpine Park. The greenway was mobbed with people and a line of about 30 booths set up alongside it. In the grassy knoll between the starting line of the course and the lake, there were two or three stages, featuring comedians and dancers and Lord knows what else. I tried not to slow down too much as I was now clipping along in the 7:35 range, but ducked back into the woods, eschewing the greenway, and ran the first mile backwards before cutting over towards Margaret Wallace Road. I even noticed a few parking attendants directing people to come through the service entrance and park their cars in the grass adjacent to the greenway. It was...quite a sight.
I turned around at Margaret Wallace and decided to slowly pick up the pace as I headed home. I didn't want this to be much longer than 9 miles today. I came down the greenway and realized I could probably navigate through the crowds. Here I was, a half-naked blond runner in the midst of thousands of Hispanic revelers...there was a slight chance I stood out a bit.
Naturally, I just rolled through there like it was no big deal, knocking the pace down to about 7:20 and then running a 6:56 for the final mile, along the long stretch away from the park. I hit the 9-mile mark before I made it back to Sardis so I just decided to walk the rest of the way in. I felt pretty good about getting in the miles and keeping the pace decent, especially since it was a little hot.
I was ready to go home and watch some basketball - anyone interested in an NBA playoffs post? Go Thunder!
Details
Time: 01:07:42/7:31 ppm
I parked at the Sardis lot, as usual, but started by running up Sardis towards the Boyce trails right past Charlotte Christian. I now realize that any time I run in the Boyce trails, my Garmin is going to report some slow times, so despite the reading of 7:40 for mile one and 7:52 for mile two, I knew I had gotten off to a decent clip. That was the plan for today - keep the pace honest and steady. Not too slow or too quick, maybe throw in a fast mile at the end if the system feels up for it.
As I approached the park, I noticed a group of Hispanic males scaling the hill from the Monroe Road bridge..then a group of several more, with children, walking towards the park...then several more...and by then, I was about to enter the park and could tell there was some sort of gathering taking place. When I was closer I upgraded this occasion from a "gathering" to a "very large festival." There must have been 10,000 Hispanic people at McAlpine Park. The greenway was mobbed with people and a line of about 30 booths set up alongside it. In the grassy knoll between the starting line of the course and the lake, there were two or three stages, featuring comedians and dancers and Lord knows what else. I tried not to slow down too much as I was now clipping along in the 7:35 range, but ducked back into the woods, eschewing the greenway, and ran the first mile backwards before cutting over towards Margaret Wallace Road. I even noticed a few parking attendants directing people to come through the service entrance and park their cars in the grass adjacent to the greenway. It was...quite a sight.
I turned around at Margaret Wallace and decided to slowly pick up the pace as I headed home. I didn't want this to be much longer than 9 miles today. I came down the greenway and realized I could probably navigate through the crowds. Here I was, a half-naked blond runner in the midst of thousands of Hispanic revelers...there was a slight chance I stood out a bit.
Naturally, I just rolled through there like it was no big deal, knocking the pace down to about 7:20 and then running a 6:56 for the final mile, along the long stretch away from the park. I hit the 9-mile mark before I made it back to Sardis so I just decided to walk the rest of the way in. I felt pretty good about getting in the miles and keeping the pace decent, especially since it was a little hot.
I was ready to go home and watch some basketball - anyone interested in an NBA playoffs post? Go Thunder!
Details
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