There is a transportation hierarchy when in Central Park and it goes something like this:

1. Taxis (they’re NY taxis, ’nuff said)
2. Horses (they’re big and slow and pull tourists around)
3. NYC Parks golf carts (see #2, minus the tourists)
4. Rickshaws (oh so bloody annoying as they park in the running lanes)
5. Cyclists (useful for blocking all of the above)
6. Runners faster than you (show offs)
7. Runners/you (marvelous creatures)
8. Runners slower than you (less marvelous, but they do provide a nice ego boost as you pass them)
9. People running with baby carriages (nothing like terrorizing your infant before work)
10. People walking dogs (take Lassie to a farm already)
11. Squirrels (smarter than most of the above, except runners of course)
12. Tourists (if only I believed in god then I’d know they were all going to burn…)

Ok, Central Park really isn’t the war zone I make it out to be, but when you step inside you need to know the score. Taxis will pass other taxis IN THE RUNNING AND BIKE LANES. That fact that there are runners and cyclists in said lanes never quite computes with them. Cyclists will yell at runners to get out of the way. Runners in turn curse out tourists, especially those that tend to gather in a group in the middle of the road. Dog walkers, at least those that do so in the running and biking lanes, are universally loathed (in part because those leashes are deadly and in part because based on the size of the dog they clearly have a bigger apartment than you do).

On the plus side, Central Park isn’t Times Square.

I met a couple of friends last night for a run in the park. The pace was slow enough that we could chat easily. Before I knew it we had run five miles. Normally I run by myself and I am aware of the distance covered even as I zone out. Running with friends silenced that internal odometer and made the experience more enjoyable. Time flies when you’re having fun and all that. I don’t run with an ipod, but I see a lot of people do and now I’m wondering if that might not have the same effect as chatting with friends. Actually, I’ll still prefer friends for the social aspect, but I might give the music a try.

I was in Pennsylvania the last few days and went on a twelve mile hike with members of the Sierra Club in R.B. Winters Park. The weather was ideal and the hike spectacular. The route was rocky which meant I spent more time looking down than up, but when I could take my eyes off the path there was nothing but wonderful nature. A very refreshing change from the concrete of New York. The best part, however, was that I was able to take mental notes as I walked. A few scenes in the current book became much clearer.

The heart remains willing, but the shins have had enough for the moment. Actually, it’s the muscles that run up the front of the shins that are causing problems so I’m taking a couple weeks off to let them heal. I’ll then start back slowly with some new exercises from my coach, Natalie, so that I don’t get sidelined by them again. In the meantime I’ve joined a gym so I will be able to burn a few calories and hopefully not go all to pot while I recuperate.

I usually wear glasses so when I run in high humidity including rain, like today, my glasses fog up and my view of the world goes wet and milky. I think the clouding of my vision turns my thoughts even more inward than usual. Runners zone out or get into a zone as the miles click by and the rain seems to accentuate that. Soon all that exists is the wooshing sound of my breath as the pavement flashes by (well, rolls by, I’m not that fast…yet). I don’t write while I’m running, not exactly, but I do find my thoughts wandering to a character, especially one that I’ve placed in a life or death situation. No doubt the rushing of blood, the increased heart rate, sweat, exertion and the simple act of motion contribute.