4 miles
minnehaha falls and back
73 degrees
humidity: 84% / dew point: 64
Yes, another day of uncomfortably hot and humid conditions. Another morning with sweat and a flushed face. Also, something new: swarms of gnats. Getting in my eyes, my mouth, my nose, on my shirt. After the run, getting ready for a shower, I counted more than a dozen dead gnats on my chest. Yuck!
Do I regret going out for the run? Not one bit. Even with the heat and the gnats, it was beautiful — changing leaves, sparkling water, a bright blue sky, a gushing creek and a roaring falls. Plus, the gnats have inspired me. I want to write about them for Girl Ghost Gorge!
Tried something new for the second half of the run: run 2 minutes, walk 1. It worked out well. I think I’ll try this again. Maybe I’ll experiment with the amounts: 3 minutes of runner/1 minute of walking or 2 minutes of running/30 seconds of walking?
For the first time in a while, I saw the regular, Mr. Santa Claus. We greeted each other with a wave.
gnats Returning to the gnats, I’ve been thinking about them more lately because of Endi Bogue Hartigan and her mention of them in her poem, “Running Sentences,” especially these lines:
c A chorus sings in swarms of gnats.
b First the body on the path, but first the body as circumference,
a First the cloud of gnats first the movement through the cloud
collective noun: a cloud of gnats / a swarm of gnats / a horde of gnats / a rabble of gnats