I figured since I have a day off I would go ahead and make up for 5 weeks of inadequacy by posting twice, maybe even more, today. So, I thought it might be time to give notice of some distressing issues going on in these parts. As a side effect of increased runner traffic, Edmond has decided to enforce ticketing of runners who don't stay on the sidewalk. I, myself, was stopped last spring on a run heading east on Lindsey, not more than a 1/4 mile from where the sidewalk ends on a section of street that has been widened to four lanes, but with no shoulders added. I would imagine it is but a matter of time before we see much the same tactic used in Norman. Now, while I'm not totally a fan of running on sidewalks in general, I can understand the need to underscore the importance of runner safety in the darker months. However, there seems to be little building code or consistency with creating sidewalks or lighting. Seeing as it is now dark as soon as one is getting off work, people are probably going to gravitate towards safer, surer footing, lights, etc. I have a huge issue is people cannot feasibly run. The problem is obviously a lack of venues conducive to running. This has been mine and others complaints for a long time and an obvious problem with throwing up bike route signs or not following through on completion of outdoor venues and the like that would cater to those parties interested. I think polling of citizens to ask what they need is in order and oversight of how these places are managed. It has also shocked me that we don't do a better job of implementing facilities that obviously work in other cities and as a result are clearly a bright spot of the area and a boon to society.
I hit the track this morning for some work. It was another nice morning but I can't imagine the humidity abating for long. Jordan and Meagan had matching workouts of 4-8-12-16-16-12-8-4 w/ 60 second rest. The paces prescribed were quick and I didn't run great but I tried to hang with Jordan on the middle reps. I should hopefully be able to substantially improve on my efforts this morning and maybe feel better doing it. I did something like a 200-500-1100-800-1600-1200-600-200, I wasn't happy with missing out on the first 1600 but I had to break for the restroom and I at least touched on some faster paces on the other reps. The recovery made it a pretty honest effort and I at least was able to sneak below 5:00 pace. My goal for the summer is breaking 15:00 so we'll see what happens. The picture above is my uncle's digital rendering of a wave complete with a frigate bird. I think he used only Adobe throughout the process.
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