S.R.S. returns, with a tan

Hello again!

I forgot to mention one big item in my list in the last post, which would have explained why it's been quiet around here the last week.

I went on vacation, first to Oneonta for July 4th and then to Cape Cod for five glorious days of enjoying wonderful company, 90-degree weather, the ocean, the beach, swimming ponds, Provincetown, the beautiful scenery and much delicious food and drink.

While I was there, I fully intended to blog, but all of the above were, shall we say, slightly distracting.

I made it a point to run a couple times during the week though. The runs were short, about 2.2 miles each because of the intense heat. I carried a water bottle with me, ran as early in the day as I could, and slathered myself in sunscreen.

You can't really beat running along the shore: When your view is a harbor full of sailboats bobbing in pristine blue water, your feet are kicking up beach sand and the sweat is rolling down your face and into your eyelashes, all the stresses, worries and complications of work and day-to-day life melt away. The only thing that matters is inhaling, exhaling, and hearing the pounding of one foot and then the other on the ground. You are left with the simple thought "Life is good."

 Near my running route, with Wellfleet Harbor in the background.

Here is a picture of my route around Wellfleet Harbor, with Cape Cod Bay to the west and the National Seashore and the Atlantic to the east.
 

View Cape Cod run in a larger map

When I returned to Saratoga, I met up with my bestie Emily, who was visiting from Brooklyn, for a weekend of girls-only fun. Thanks to The Saratogian, we scored a majorly awesome surprise Saturday night: red-carpet access to the New York City Ballet gala at Saratoga Performing Arts Center, where we were wined and dined, saw two breathtaking performances, and later, sipped champagne and ate chocolate eclairs several feet away from two members of ballet world royalty: City Ballet master-in-chief Peter Martins and his wife, the Balanchine-trained ballerina Darci Kistler.

I tried not to stare but was very, very unsuccessful.

I'll wrap things up with a quick update on the Firecracker 4 last Sunday:

Had a decent run, finished in 36:30, and felt better than I ever have after a race (i.e. little risk of barfing).

Still standing after conquering four miles at 8 a.m.

Could this race location be any more convenient? 

The start/finish and activities were located in the Algonquin building parking lot.

Thank you to the Caroline Street resident who provided a mist station, (i.e. sprayed the runners with a hose as we passed by) and King Brothers Dairy of Schuylerville that handed out samples of chocolate milk afterward.

It was fun to see some friends, as well as some former and current coworkers from The Saratogian both running in and covering the race.

 Let's just say the whole week, from Sunday to Sunday was, if not the Best Week Ever, the Best Week in a Long, Long, Time. Yay.

Now that the temperature has dropped from an uncomfortable 92 degrees to a nice, brisk 87, I think it's time to suit up and go for a run.