A Mile or More in My [Running] Shoes

After getting to work early this morning and working into the afternoon, I got home and took a quick (and much needed) cat nap. After waking up I decided that it was time to lace up the sneakers and head outdoors for my 5k pledge to Run for Christchurch. Check it out! Red and black right down to my laces…

Being that I am in taper mode for the NYC Half Marathon next Sunday, and omitting a long run seems to be a huge and uncomfortable break from routine, I ended up doing a 6 mile run (instead of just the 5k) over to Battery Park and then up the Hudson Esplanade and West Side Highway.

It was a nice day for a run and there were a ton of other runners out. It appears that spring has arrived in New York and today’s 50 degree (10 Celsius) weather and extra hour of daylight gave everyone plenty of reason to head outdoors. It was a bit windy and as I was running the “out” portion of my out and back, I comforted myself with the thought that I would have a tail wind to help carry me home. Mother Nature had other thoughts though, and the wind was suddenly absent. (What a tease!)

Wave to Lady Liberty! (Confession: I couldn’t take my phone with me on my run and I’m using a photo I snapped when I was training for my first half marathon last fall, but my running route and these views are far too spectacular to not share.)

I saw so many people in red and black and each time I smiled knowingly. I can’t be sure that they were running for Christchurch. It’s entirely possible that a ton of New Yorkers are really fond of red and black and decided that today was a perfect day to wear that black and red rugby shirt while they took in the sights along the Hudson, but I’d like to think that they were running and sporting red and black for a reason. It’s amazing how the running community unites for great causes. Whether it’s programs like the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s Team in Training, running with Nike and (RED) to raise awareness and money for AIDS awareness, or an amazing, international grassroots movement to benefit the victims of the earthquake in Christchurch, runners show up consistently. I’m proud to be a member of a community willing to put themselves out there to support and raise awareness for such worthy organizations.