The First Run of the Summer

Man with Trophy Seen in Porta-Potty

The History of Giuseppe Mazzini is Revealed to Me.

Central Park Sunday 8:00 AM
Why aren't these people in bed? Because it's the Father's Day Five Mile Run. I got there early because I hadn't picked up my number and tag on Friday as I normally do. The first thing I found out is that you don't have to pick up your number and tag on Friday, so that is going to save me a lot of time before the next race. I also found out, mostly by watching people at other races, that you do not have to have a bag of stuff with you. Most of the time I have my fanny pack with an extra shirt (or two), spare set of socks, my gym lock, my Muvo music thingie, my keys and wallet. It's the everyday in New York is a nature hike you have to pack for rule, but today I was determined to do a bare bones run.
I brought my keys and my Metrocard. No extra stuff. I brought the Palm because I wanted to take pictures, but in the future, maybe that stays home.
Because I got there early I got to wander around through the legs. There are a lot of legs.


Any observer would see that the vast majority of these people do not see a five mile run as any kind of a challenge, but more of a 'something to do before we take the rest of the family to the Boathouse for lunch'. The run is not the serious part of the day. There are business meetings going on in the line for the Porta-Potties -two guys ahead of me in line were negotiating the shipment of some huge amount of something and vacations are being planned -the woman in the teal outfit doing the hamstring stretch just saved a lost summer for her friend in the black shorts by offering her the possibility of someone not fulfilling their agreement on the rental in the Hamptons. Oh, and there was a guy with the trophy in the Porta-Potty. Apparently he was delivering it to some group of very large guys in matching running jerseys when he was unavoidably detained. My question was : There are not too many places to put stuff in a Porta-Potty. Where did he put it while solving his problem?


Anyway. It was hot at the start and hot through the first two miles and hot all the way to the finish.
Here is my most usual view during a run. Yes, those are people all the way out of sight and around the corner. It really helped if when you leave your big bag of stuff home, you also leave most of your self esteem. During the race, because I left my music thingie (Mp3 whatever) at home, I got to listen in on more business being done, several people were thinking about leaving their jobs or had already done so, one hugely hairy-shouldered guy was schmoozing his running partner about something but I couldn't catch what it was. I was very glad to have no one to talk to because I don't think I could have carried on a conversation. I did get a lift in the last mile from a passing runner who acted as if she knew me but by that time I was blinded by my sweat. Did I mention that before the run I had half-promised myself that I was going to trot on up to 110th Street to get a few extra miles in? Well, that half promise was not fulfilled.

I finished pretty strong, making sure that two gray-haired guys (in my age group) were left behind, but that was it for me. I got some water cups and wandered over to the Giuseppe Mazzini statue and started to read the sign all about how he well, read it here.
Anyway, while I was reading another finisher came up and started reading too. I waited until he's gotten about done and then said "I run by this guy's head thousands of times now, but I've never stopped to read the sign." "Same here." he replied. It was a reminder to me that I need to see more of the park then just the white line on the pavement.

Over at the Seventh Regiment Statue (I was trying to get a start on things.) one older skinny fellow was leading an even older fellow up the hill to have a seat on the statue's base. I offered them one of my cups of water. Turns out older fellow is the son-in-law and is seventy-one, the older fellow is his father-in-law. We talked about running a little running, older fellow expressed his disappointment at running a couple of over nine/thirties that morning. (I am hoping to break ten minute miles soon.) I called him a rabbit and he laughed and I said I hoped he and his wife's dad had a great Father's Day. Mine was going good so far.