Time of run: 3:00 pm
Temp: 46 degrees F (feels like 37)
Conditions: Partly cloudy, 82% humidity, winds 12 mph
Distance: 3.9 miles each way (7.8 miles total)
Another long run, but thankfully a lot flatter than the Capitol Hill to Sellwood-Moreland one.
Injury update: Left ankle still sore, but mainly from the external bruise rubbing the shoe instead of inside the ankle itself. Right small toe had bad blister (from the new basketball shoes), hard to walk with it, but happy to discover once running I didn't feel it much.
This week's run was from the Holgate Branch (SE 79th & Holgate) to the Midland Branch (SE 122nd near Stark St). I headed east on Holgate, immediately passing historic Eastport Plaza (which contains a movie theater I went to a few times in my youth back before there were many major theaters in the city).
Not much else to see along this street (except the occasional car on blocks),
until I came across the Memory Garden, a lovely new little space dedicated to those suffering from, and affected by, Alzheimer's.
After a relatively painless and uneventful run, including a somewhat treacherous stretch of Powell Blvd (busy road, no sidewalks), I arrived at the Midland Library, with some impressive signage, welcome drinking fountains right inside, and a surprisingly expansive main floor.
Didn't take long to find the music section, and I flipped through the CDs on the rack nearest me, the M's, randomly coming across an album by Dutch dubstep artist Martyn which looked interesting, and then moving down a couple racks and coming across a Best of Spanky & Our Gang, a late 60's group in the Mamas & Papas vein. I couldn't really remember them but it seemed like a nice balance to the dubstep, so why not?
I made my choices quickly and checked out, eager to get back on the road before I cooled down too much for the 4 miles back to the car. I took a different route on the way back, to avoid the hectic traffic of Powell and the somewhat depressing landscape of Holgate. And a good choice it was, as I saw some new developments in real estate, a nice wide-vista view from the I-205 overpass, and a surprisingly quiet footpath along the other side of I-205 that went for about half a mile after.
After some nice neighborhood sidewalk running, as I neared 82nd Street, I reentered a more seemly area of town, which included this rather depressing looking small house decorated with Christmas lights:
Heading down 82nd I also noted the Plasma Center is doing good business, probably a symptom of our still sluggish economy, but hey it's needed so good for them:
And back to the car, none the worse for wear and happy to say ankle and sore toe holding up very well. Was also happy to run in my new shirt (nice and comfy!), an incentive reward for donating to the Friends of April Hill Park, a wonderful local organization that's raising money to build a boardwalk sorely needed in a park near our house.
Oh, and I just discovered an error in my mapping. I originally intended to take a left (west) at Holgate and head up and around, ending at Gresham Library,
But instead I enthusiastically headed east across I-205 to Midland. So now I'm going to keep going east, loop back at Gresham and then head back west. The down side is I'll have a really long run between Rockwood and Gregory Heights branches, but the good thing is I'll finish the whole run in a nice big loop. Much better symmetry, like an star constellation! Nice to finish at home, right?
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As for last week's CD: Boris, Attention Please. I've listened to various Boris releases over the years and none of it really stuck...until now. This album really worked for me. I've got a soft spot for heavy guitars with ethereal female vocals, and this definitely does it. Nice find! (Love that Mellotron-like sound; so cool.)
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