Trail Note
Best run in a long time tonight. I didn’t really feel like going out; it’s been gray and drizzly and cold all day. I threw on a long-sleeved T-shirt though and promised myself some Bourke Street Bakery sourdough if I made it to the top of Enmore Road. For music I had Max’s Boot Camp Mix pumping on the iPod. I took off through Chippendale and crossed over Cleveland, winding my way through the Uni and up past the Engineering buildings. I popped out on City Road and began the long slog up to Newtown. The rain was misting down and I was literally talking myself into each and every step. “Just up to that light pole… I meant the next light pole… Now listen, legs, you can walk when you get to the traffic light…” Somewhere along the way it started to get easier, and by the time I got to Newtown Station I felt like I was cruising. I headed up Enmore Road past the landmarks of our years living there: the Oporto we visited way too often; the Cat Protection Society where we got Dr. Amy Jones; the Blockbuster where we fed our Buffy addiction. Soon I was at my intended destination so I checked the time. Only 26 minutes! I needed a new goal. “Self,” I said, “you’re gonna run all the way to the goddamn Marrickville Metro.” Halfway there my legs started to protest, but my brain stubbornly insisted that I wasn’t turning around until I’d slapped the door of the shopping center with my hand. So I did. And then I turned right around and started the long trip back home. As I came back up City Road past the Uni, I suddenly realized that it wasn’t raining anymore. I turned over and looked over my shoulder… and stopped dead at the sight. The sun had finally broken through the clouds just as it was setting over the main quad, and it was seriously some of the prettiest “God light” you’ve ever seen. I took that as a sign that I’d done enough and walked the rest of the way to the supermarket. Elapsed jogging time: 1 hour, 10 minutes. I’m gonna be hurting tomorrow…