running the brooklyn bridge
this morning i did a new route, to expand my repertoire of routes in the city, and to get in 6 miles. man, it totally fucking rocked. well, most of it did. first of all, treading new terrain helped keep me fresh and helped the miles pass quicker. and it was all new groups of homeless guys, delivery drivers, and garbage men, heh. the part that got tough, and i expected it, was going over the actual bridge. now, i loves me some brooklyn bridge. it’s beautiful, scenic, charming – and i’m telling you, watching the sunrise on the way over and letting manhattan wrap itself around me on the way back was fucking awesome – but it’s uphill on the way over and then of course, uphill on the way back. i admit, i cheated a little on the brooklyn side and didn’t go all the way over because i couldn’t face it. but it’s a pretty steady climb up the arc of the bridge, starting from city hall. and hills are where i most often find myself engaging in negative thoughts and considering stopping. i gotta work on that. because once i turned around and started on the flat ground, i immediately felt like i could go on and on. actually, the second half of the run, after coming off the bridge, really felt very strong. i’m learning how to work the mental game this week and last, which is pretty great, because next week i start really adding on the miles. i will need to work the mental game pretty hard.
now i gotta start mapping out routes all over the place! i will also need that as i start adding serious mileage. to keep things fresh, but also to fight off the temptation to stop when i’m just running near my apartment. that’s too easy, better to get my ass away from this hood and avoid that.
