Running Journal, Saturday, 2013-11-09: Running on a space rock

Resting heart rate:76 bpm, around two hours after running
Body Mass Index (BMI):
Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR):
Weather: calm; sunny
Temp: pleasant
Time: ~1:30-3:00 p.m.
Terrain: flat with a few rolling hills
Comments: Dawn and I parked at the CSUS Aquatic Center and split up (she got a snack and visited the Nimbus Fish Hatchery). Perfect afternoon weather. Wore my Xero flats. At the beginning of the run, my mind sparked all sorts of thoughts. On the way back, it quieted down. I noticed my left foot does not chafe as much if I run on the outside of the flat...after a while it seems like my legs figure it out and they operate independently. I smelled creosote again as I crossed the mile 24 bridge made of railroad ties. I ran on beds of pine needles and gazed up at the cones on the pine trees. Lake Natoma reflectetd the fall colors like a mirror. A few buckeye trees had large nuts hanging from their branches. I saw some new (to me) race graffiti on the asphalt: "Go Aleana + Holly" : o P . Wished I had brought lip balm and water. The blue oak leaves looked in the middle of turning copper. I noted the silence as I ran, then a cyclist with a radio rode past. Around mile three I started feeling thirsty. I saw towering spirals of thousands of gulls to the southeast...brilliant. They had flown so high they looked like a cloud of mosquitoes. Waves of gulls flew past in a V-formation. Noted a number of energy wrapper waste left along the side of the path--a pet peeve of mine. At the split, I recorded a time of 15:03. I forgot my start time. I felt tired, thirsty, and hot. On the return, I watched the wake from a passing canoe. Two female wild turkeys crossed the bike path within ten feet of me. I watched a man dressed in athletic pants and jacket amble by...I wondered if he felt too warm. A woman ran by with an olive tank top and I remembered how good the color looks on Dawn. Feeling warm, I scrambled down a bank of placer rocks to the shore, hearing them clack loudly as I stepped on them. I drenched my shirt in the water of Lake Natoma, feeling a shock of cold as I put it back on. It had the intended effect! I felt immediately relief from the heat. I listened to the squeak of the bridge from my steps near Willow Creek. I heard the yell of children swimming, a croaking duck, and a strange noise I had not heard before--until I saw someone using a bike pump to inflate their bicycle tire. At Willow Creek, I noticed California Canoe and Kayak had two portable storage containers they used for rental equipment...but a sign stated the rental season had ended. I listened to the soft roar of the vehicles passing on Highway 50. My mind had quieted...all my attention focused on breathing, pace, efficiency, moving forward. As I passed a meadow with a horse hitching post overlooking Lake Natoma, I found myself running smoothly. I wondered if I had ran too far, and I wanted to get back to Dawn in good time. I started to imagine myself having a one thousand yard stare. I finally found a source of water at the park opposite the CSUS Aquatic Center. I ended my run around 16:00. The scenery right now looks beautiful: tree leaves dying and turning red, gold, copper. Two men walked by carrying two salmon each...one man dragging the back fins of his salmon catch on the ground, the other had his in a net...I wondered at the legality of their catch. The parking lot seems to have very interested photovoltaic cells wrapped around their light posts, which illuminate LED's at night. I arrived a minute or two before Dawn came back. We talked and headed home. In reflection: I had only intended to run around 6 miles today, but ran ~8. My leggings need replacing, as the crotch has begun wearing out. My legs feel sore but not too bad. A nice first long run for not having run any meaningful distance in nearly 2.5 years : o )
Goal Time: n/a
Distance (running): ~8 miles
Weight (after run):
Any irregular feelings, aches, pains, heart rate, and so forth?: calf muscles moderately sore
Foods eaten today: pumpkin flax granola cereal with milk, banana, apple sauce, butternut squash ravioli with marinara sauce and parmesan cheese, deli Greek pasta salad, raspberries, peppermint chocolate