3 miles
ywca track
The first run at the track in over 2 years. I looked it up and the last run at this track was 4 dec 2023. Not much has changed, which was good. It felt like time traveling. Lots of memories at the y with kids in swim team and inside winter running. I wore my bright yellow shoes, and between them and the bouncy track surface, I felt like I was flying. Fun! and also strange and awkward at first. Running at this track — 6 laps is a mile — is easier than the treadmill, but it’s still hard to run for a long time. I ran without stopping for 20 minutes, then walked a lap, then ran a lap, walked a lap, ran 2.
Aside from the dry and warm and not slippery conditions, one of the best things about running on the track is the chance to encounter the same people over and over, loop after loop.
10 People
- the fast runner in blue shorts — a great runner, graceful, making it look effortless — he passed me at least 3 or 4 times
- a short-ish woman in black pants and a white jacket walking slowly (and obliviously) in the middle lane, often veering slightly to the outside running lane
- 2 tall guys, one in a red shirt, walking and chatting
- later, one of the guys, starting to run
- an older woman, tall, in black pants, with short hair, her head cocked slightly to the right as she walked
- a woman in bright yellow shorts, running, her gait was strange: bouncy, but striking on the wrong part of her foot — too much vertical movement?
- 2 people chatting near the window — one of them, complaining about how, because of insurance and property tax increases, her mortgage was jumping from $800 a month to $1300
- a guy in the far right corner, punching a bag in a steady and strong rhythm
- a woman walking with purpose, her locker key jangling in her pocket with each step
- someone entering the track and stopping in the middle of the lane to adjust their shoe — they saw me in plenty of time and moved out of the way — thanks!
Earlier today, or yesterday?, I came up with a ywca goal for December: swim a 5k. Now I’m thinking that I should have a running/track goal too. Run a 10k? Run an all out mile? I’ll think about it some more.
locker room encounter
Sandwiched between 2 other people changing, it was awkward. I overheard one say to the other, do you smell hot chocolate? I didn’t, and then suddenly I did. It smelled good. Without thinking, which is something I do more often because of my vision, I blurted out, excuse me, did one of you just say it smells like hot chocolate? One of them said, its my cocoa butter. I responded, it smells so good!