The Wednesday Afternoon Urban Run

A new run has crept into my schedule over the last few weeks. I should point out, my schedule is a bit odd this semester, as I teach from 11:40-3:30 MWF, with a 7:45-9 class Monday and Wednesday nights. So that leaves a pretty big chunk of time between the last afternoon class and the night class.

Monday it's largely booked up, with office hours and dedicated writing time. Wednesday, it's a block of open time, and the last few weeks I've used part of that to go for a run.

I'm not sure this slot is a keeper. It's one more run without Helen, it's all (or at least nearly all) on pavement, and I can't ice my knees afterwards. And the shower afterwards is a bit of a hassle.

But for now, it's neat. a 5-10 mile loop from my office at Temple you can see some interesting stuff. Head downtown, go over to Kelly drive, check out various neighborhoods.

None of these are without their sketchy parts. Temple's in the middle of the 'hood, and running right around it, well, I like it but some parts are to be avoided. It's not something I'd be that comfortable having Helen run on her own. Yesterday's run included Diamond st., from front to 15^th. The first 10 blocks there were kinda tense.

But the rest of the run was really nice. I ran through Fishtown (and, I think, part of Kensington, although I'm not too good on the geography of the river wards). The first part, through some of the construction in North Philly, was also nice. Philly is a city of neighborhoods. Some I know. Most I don't – despite having spent most of my life here. So these runs have been training and exploration, and the exploring has been fun.