Almost-attended Kerry rally, workout, and fireworks
Before the evening's workout, I stood in line waiting for a runner of another sort: John Kerry, who was due to make an appearance at the Art Museum. I arrived at Lloyd Hall around 4:30 to park stuff in a locker and change to running clothes. To also get to the workout in times, I needed to make a quick exit, very likely before the end of his speech, so wanted to get there ready to run right afterward. All the gear organizing decisions gave me a sense of how it might feel to be a triathlete. The web site instructed people not to have bags, signs, etc., which meant traveling very light to the front of the Art Museum. But how light? It had been raining off and on throughout the day, so I had an umbrella and rain jacket packed in my bag. (The reader should note that I don't run carrying an umbrella, but just prefer to start a rainy workout reasonably dry, even if I don't stay that way.) Despite the rain, it was still muggy, and a rain jacket seemed too warm. But an umbrella with running clothes would look silly. (Vain, I know, but still...) Then what about a water bottle holster? They didn't allow bags, but surely a water bottle holster with a small pouch for money and a cliff bar would look reasonably harmless. Besides, I wanted to keep sipping water until about a half hour before the workout. So I opted for the holster/water bottle, leaving behind both jacket and umbrella, taking as rain protection only my favorite old purple baseball hat.Thus equipped, I walked/ran to the front of the Art Museum, where I bought a button and (realizing I might need it) a Kerry bandanna, and joined the ever-growing line that went on... and on.... As I stood waiting, I began to regret my decision to leave all rain gear in the locker, as it began to sprinkle, then build into a shower. Fortunately, a couple in front of me lent me and the woman beside me a spare umbrella they happened to have. This time, I had enough of vanity and gladly accepted. Gradually, the rain let up, and, while it was still raining, the sun came out again, making me think there might be a rainbow--a good sign for Kerry! I didn't see one, but perhaps someone did somewhere. ;) I also ended up not seeing Kerry. The line was making very slow progress, and at 6:10, there were still a couple hundred people in front of me, it seemed, as I stood facing the terrace and steps up to the security screening area. It was time to prioritize. Seeing Kerry would be exciting, yes, but I doubted I'd see him for more than a nanosecond. I figured it would be close to 6:30 (the start time for our workout) by the time I reached the head of the line, I'd have to surrender my water bottle--something I thought I might want with me during the workout--and then most likely would have to turn around immediately and sprint back to Lloyd Hall, not a good thing to do before a proper warm-up. It was time to wish the man well and cut out to reach my main Tuesday evening destination. And anyway, he had my vote already, so in my case, he'd be preaching to the choir.
The workout turned out to be well worth abandoning the rally line to attend:
6x1/4, 2 min. rest, mile warm-up/mile cooldown. In spite of the muggy weather, made more so by the rain which let up long enough for us to get soaked only by sweat during the workout, I felt pretty decent during this one, not trying for all-out efforts, just consistency. My times were: 2:06, 1:59, 2:05, 2:01, 2:01, 1:57. The last surprised me. The whole workout I had none of the "about to bonk" feeling I had last week.
From a mile down Kelly Drive where we were starting our repeats, we saw the fireworks set off for Kerry, although Mike said they were for us. Perhaps they were.
posted by DPMcManus @ 4:25 AM
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