Yesterday's run was a fun one. The temperature had cooled quite a bit, and there was a really nice warmth in the air. I wanted to get to the Rivanna Trail, so I headed straight up Commonwealth to Hydraulic. I enjoy the loop in Charlotte Humphris park, but today I really wanted to push further down the trail if I could. I had about an hour and a half of sunlight left.
I'm amazed now at how I can start pretty strong from the beginning. My body can get into gear pretty much with the first stride. Every single part of me falls into line pretty quick, though it takes about a quarter mile until I don't notice that I'm running. For this, Commonwealth is the perfect straight path to get warmed up.
By the time I get to Hydraulic, I'm revved up and want to keep moving. So, I get annoyed because it always takes a bit of effort to cross the road. There's not really a decent crosswalk, so it's important to be really vigilant. Same thing with the intersection of Georgetown and Hydraulic, though in that case, it would be really nice if there was a sidewalk on both sides of the road at the intersection. Granted, the intersection there goes have a sidewalk, but it's still a pain to have to stop.
Running down Georgetown is a hoot, with the narrow asphalt sidewalk that's half-way down the stretch to Barracks Road. I've taken to pretending the bumps caused by encroaching roots are hurdles.
Barracks Road is a nice treat downhill, and I appreciate the median in the middle at the point where you cross over to the Rivanna Trail. Sometimes I run straight down the median. I'm pretty sure you're not supposed to do that, but it feels so good.
Then, the trail. I'm not going to do it justice tonight, because I really want to write about what a gem it is, and how much I'm really enjoying incorporating parts of it into my runs. It's also late, and I should likely get to bed.
In all, I did 8 miles through city and country, through City and County, there and back again. And I can't wait to do it all again tomorrow.
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