the Way of the Turtle

NIGHT ALONG THE RIVER
6.3 Mile Run on the Mohawk Hudson Bike Path
Wednesday, May 11, 2011

Had a dinner to go to tonight with one of my students (he was being recognized as the senior with the top GPA and had nominated me as a teacher who has had a great deal of influence on time at the Academies - in all honesty a real honor for me) so I wasn't able to get outside right after work. But I packed my gear so I could go for a run if I wanted to afterwards, and when we left the dinner it was just too nice a night to head home and indoors. Instead I headed over to the Niskayuna Lions Park to put in a few miles on the bike path.

Perfect night for a run... it might have even been a bit too warm at first, but it cooled down nicely as time passed. The sky was clear and a cresent moon lit things up nicely. All manner of frogs were calling in the river, ponds, and swamps along the path - quite the serenade! There were a lot of cars in the lot when I first arrived (unusual, given that I got there a little before 9 PM) but other than a few people right at the start I didn't run into anyone while I was out there.

Back when I lived in the country I used to run at night fairly regularly in the summer. It was cooler than during the day, and often I'd find myself unable to get to sleep so I'd hit the road for 6-9 miles in the dark. Traffic was usually light enough on the back roads that during a 90 minute run (I was a bit faster back then!) I might see one or two cars. I've always enjoyed the peacefulness of running in the dark and the challenge of running more by feel than by seeing the ground ahead of me (admittedly, I prefer to run trails with a headlamp to try to avoid tripping over rocks, roots, and holes.) So having to run tonight after dark was a blessing in disguise and one I think I will try to repeat occasionally as the spring, summer, and fall progress.

JMH