The Third Day in a Row of Hills

and having my only chance to eat lunch at 10:00am made yesterday seem particularly difficult.

Fighting with my mind and with my body. My lungs actually physcially hurt yesterday, as if I had done speedwork the day before and really opened them up, which I hadn't.

Right after trying to persuade undergraduates that they really don't know anything at all, or, if they do, it certainly isn't because it's a justified true belief, I laced up and headed out. I knew I had limited time before having to go to get another meeting.

Fought through the students down to 54th (school's back in session!) and went over to the West Side Highway. Just past 79th, I took the (now optional) route going up to the 101st street park. Instead of dipping back onto the West Side, I continued down Riverside Drive. Friday had given me enough of the top part of the ocean path.

Why the designers of running paths never actually seem to consult runners astounds me. The path narrows considerably up past 100th st. The way that the designers have it set up, there are bikers going both directions on one side and then a path for runners on the other. So far so good. But the path for the runners is right next to the water. Which is where the designers decided to put in all the camber for water drainage. And the path is narrow enough, with enough bike traffic, that runners really need to stay in the running lane in order to be both courteous and, more importantly, safe. Which leads to the ouchy knee situation of Friday and Saturday. No thank you.

So I took my chances on the cobblestones. Going up to 130th (I think: I made it to the bridge, started going over, then just decided to turn around), I saw about 300 children, 100 nannies and groups of Columbia Freshmen getting oriented.

Every time I run up there, I am convinced that the way uptown is almost completely uphill, and that the way back will be a leg and lung-saving downhill slope. And every time I return to Midtown on this route, I realize how wrong I am. It's true that the largest uphills are on the way uptown. But there's a reason why the hills in Harlem are called 'rolling'. Sheesh.

Tried to push the pace a bit past 100th and then back to my office. Both because I thought I should and because I was afraid of being late to my next meeting. Was semi-successful. Don't know if I was going fast at all but my lungs burned and my calves started twitching.

Best moment: the glorious view of the pregnant women waddling in and out of the hospital on 58th and 10th. Done. Number of times I almost turned around during the run: about 17. Number of miles: about 9. Amount of food inhaled when I could finally eat: let's just say I had about 2 dinners last night.

Worried a bit about Mondays and Wednesdays. Middle-of-the-afternoon runs are not my forte. Hills are not my forte (although they ought to be my friends!). Not eating and then going running is not my forte.

Although conquering obstacles is supposed to be good for you, right?