Running Journal, Monday, 2010-12-27: Quiet Morse Avenue

Running Journal, Monday, 2010-12-27

Resting heart rate: 61 bpm (60 second test, 50 minutes after exercise)
Body Mass Index (BMI): 22.73 (kilograms/(meters^2))
Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR): 1,846 calories
Weather: mostly moon-y; calm 4 km/h (3 m/h) winds
Temp: 9 C (47 F)
Time: 7:30-8:15 p.m.

Terrain: flat; +/- 11 m (36 ft)

Comments: A bit of a dangerous time of transition, as the rhythms of my schedule have changed this week to allow Dawn the opportunity to attend classes at the 24 Hour Fitness gym near our home. Dangerous only because there is power in the established routine--changing schedules opens the possibility to excuses for not exercising. So, while Dawn attended yoga for the first time this evening, I struck out on a hastily-prepared may from http://gmap-pedometer.com to explore the area bounded roughly by Fulton Avenue on the west, Watt Avenue on the east, Fair Oaks Boulevard on the south, and Hurley Way on the north. It turns out Hurley Way and Fair Oaks Boulevard do not offer much in the way of walkability, at least in this area. Limited to no sidewalks, narrow "bike path" shoulders just a few feet wide, little street lighting, and 35-40 mph traffic. At night, this makes for a dangerous mix. The residential areas on San Ysidro Way, Castec Drive, and La Sierra Drive were quiet and pleasant. I passed a father and son rolling furniture on a dolly from their house to a truck parked on the street. I tried hard to smell the great food available at Danielle's Creperie at the corner of Watt Avenue and Fair Oaks Boulevard, but to no avail. At Morse Ave, I turned north. A number of small estates lie along the stretch between Fair Oaks Boulevard and Hurley Way and the quiet and their silent presence impressed me greatly as I ran. The Winterstein Community Center and the Kenesset Israel Torah Center call Morse Avenue home. I ended my run at the corner of Morse Avenue and Hurley Way, across from the "Hurley Plaza" strip mall featuring "Price Cutter Market," "Hurley Cleaners," a "Hurley Mailbox and Postal Service," and "Hurley Water World". The Soil Born Farm Urban Agriculture Project -- Hurley Way Farm‎ exists right at this corner as well. This is where we pick up our Community Supported Agriculture box of vegetables each week. In terms of Walkability Score, the area ranges from 49 ("Car Dependent") at the corner of Fair Oaks Boulevard and Morse Avenue, to 75 ("Very Walkable") at the corner of Fulton Avenue and Howe Avenue. Watt Avenue ranges from 51 ("Somewhat Walkable") at Hurley Way to 65 ("Somewhat Walkable") at Fair Oaks Boulevard. Somewhat ironically, the Walkability Score depends on walkable access to resources, not how pleasant it is to walk in an area. The suburban area I enjoyed running in so much this evening, for example, gets a score of 35 ("Car Dependent") even though it is right next to Arden Park. The sky overhead this evening was mostly clear (no moon) with mottled clouds reflecting the orange sodium-vapor lights of the city. I only passed one other person on the streets, a biker with no reflective gear or lights. I also passed the first (of many, most likely) discarded Christmas tree of the season on Hurley Way this evening, a few strands of tinsel still hanging from its boughs. I think my next run will likely avoid Hurley Way and Fair Oaks Boulevard as much as possible, sticking to the quieter, residential streets and even four parks in the Arden Manor Recreation and Park District: Deterding, Crabtree, Winterstein Community, and Jonas Larkspur. The only downside is getting home a bit later. The upside is the opportunity to do cross-training on alternate nights...will investigate.

Goal Time: n/a

Distance (running): ~6.44 km (~4.0 miles); http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=4205834 ~580 calories burned

Weight (after run): 77.8 kg (171.5 lbs), ?% body fat
Any irregular feelings, aches, pains, heart rate, and so forth?: None
Foods eaten today: oatmeal + raisins + banana, walnuts, almonds, V-8, egg-salad sandwich on potato bread, whole wheat pita + hummus, faux-chicken strips + hummus + spinach whole wheat tortilla wrap, green tea with lemon juice, non-alcoholic Bailey's Irish Creme-flavored black tea