Swift Fish Net

Most of my runs tend to be fairly repetitive. I don’t notice much of a difference between them from one day to the next, but every now and then there are special days like today that stick out. I think it is related to a number of factors with weather, energy, and state of mind all being in the optimal zone to combine for a great run.

While it has been Spring for a number of weeks already, somehow today struck me as particularly Spring-like. It was fairly cool, calm, and overcast, with temperatures hovering mostly in the mid 50°Fs. The new leaves are still mostly a pale-green color while others seem almost purple before the chlorophyll kicks in, and there is still lots of color from all kinds of blooming plants like dogwoods, apple blossoms, and especially the azaleas. Today’s weather is probably my favorite kind for running. Many people would perhaps find it a bit gloomy, but for me, it is perfect. There was no wind to struggle with. It was warm enough for shorts but also cool enough to not end up dripping with sweat. to sun to squint into. There was even a pleasant mist drifting through the air.

There was perhaps a bit more wildlife along the Rock Creek trail than I typically see or hear. As always there were the deer (it is quite rare not to see a deer), but I also saw a Great Blue Heron hanging out just past the beaver dam below Lake Needwood. On the way back, there were a couple of Barred Owls hooting back and forth from either side of the trail near Lake Frank. There were a number of other birds flitting about before the sunset as well.

My energy levels seemed to be quite high, which makes running feel practically effortless. Sometimes when I feel this good, I have a tendency to pick up the pace or go longer, but today I just wanted to enjoy an easy pace for a medium eight mile length. It was a very enjoyable and comfortable run.