very good run

i'm getting back into the running thing, i guess. a fortunate combination of sunny weather and good tunes brought me past the 4 mile milestone, which i tell beginning runners (as i was told) is a big achievement, since "it's all easy after 4 miles". in my experience, the funny thing is that it's true. miles 5-10 are a lot easier than the first 4. it's my first 4 since getting back into running just a month or so ago, after deciding i wasn't going to wait to be light before running.

my shin is nearly pain-free. it may have been running too frequently, or running in the middle of the street (at a slant) that caused it. or maybe something entirely different. maybe it will hurt tomorrow. i don't know for sure yet. i'd really like to get it figured out.

one thing that was made abundantly clear today: mexican gardeners are nicer than white people out for a walk. i've noticed this on several runs. the gardeners always see me coming, and always turn off their blowers or their chainsaws or their weed whackers and get out of my way on the sidewalk. i always thank them. this is very kind of them, since they're working and i'm not, and i could run onto the street to get around them.

on the other hand, countless times i've had to either divert to the blacktop or say "excuse me" to oncoming white people out for a walk. it's one thing when you've got your back to me, but when you're looking me in the eye for a minute as i approach, and still standing shoulder to shoulder with your stroller buddy, taking up the entire sidewalk, there's no other word for what you are: an asshole. also a douchebag. that's two words, because you're raising your baby to be one, too.

i ran with brand new sunglasses today. brand new sunglasses sure are nice. it's like not wearing any sunglasses at all, until i look up in the sky and see the weird polarization effects. oooh, polarization effects! groovy.

lastly, my pace was 9:28. this is great, because it's basically my same old pace. the really weird thing is that it seems to be my pace no matter how far i run: it's my pace for 2 miles, it's my pace for 3 miles, it was just about my pace for 10 miles. but here's the weird thing: it was exactly my pace for the last 2-3 runs, all of which have been different distances and routes. maybe the gps watch is broken. i certainly wouldn't be surprised. it could also just be unsurprisingly buggy.