Sticking with my Sunday routine, I went for a run in the park this morning before meeting a friend for brunch. The last two Sundays I've been a bit iffy about continuing to run in the park. Sure, it's been fun and I'm running on the same loop that I will be running for the Corporate Challenge, but there are downsides. For one, the first uphill of my loop is where horse-drawn carriages bottleneck. This leads to some unpleasant odors during one of the more difficult parts of my workout. Second, it's getting to be summertime, which means that there are more people in the park.
This Sunday, the horses and the people were there. I crashed yet another race. This was the first one that was actually disruptive to my route—as in, I actually had to double back at Bethesda Terrace.
BUT a few things happened after the race encounter that make me reconsider. First, I saw this elderly man that I've seen every weekend. He must come to the park at the same time as me. His jog is more like my fast walk, but he's out there doing it. I respect that. Second, I saw this other man with his dog—a pug. The dog is so cute! He carries a bright neon green tennis ball in his mouth and looks so happy. Seeing these familiar faces makes me feel less alone and like I have a community. . . Maybe I won't stop running in the park. We'll see.
Keep at it! Don't let anything discourage you. :)
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