Turtles and naps...

Yeah, I don't recommend napping with turtles.  That's not what this post is about.  So then what's going on?  Nope, not as exciting as you think, but check it out anyway.

Over the next few days, the greater DC area is going to be hit by a heat wave.  Yep, but Friday the heat index will hit 110 degrees.  Guess who won't be able to run during the day?  Well, nobody that is sane, that's for sure...including me (sanity check may be in order regardless).  Today was the last shot at an afternoon run in the outdoors before the bad temps set in.  I didn't really set out with a distance in mind, except that I needed to put in four or more, five would be nice.

The run started out pretty decent.  My hamstrings were still tight, but at least my legs didn't seem to be heavy like yesterday.  I headed out on one of my normal DC routes, with some different directions along the same roads.  It was warm, borderline hot by the time I got up to Lincoln Park.  And that's when I saw what I really needed to be doing on a day like this.  That's right, I should have been napping in the middle of the park like that guy over there.  I took one look at him and had a real moment of jealousy.  Instead, I snapped his photo to blast to the world (because when you make someone jealous, its a no holds barred type moment) and kept on going.

Next I headed on down North Carolina Avenue toward Pennsylvania Avenue.  I take this particular road over toward Pennsylvania from time to time for a couple of reasons.  First and foremost, when the temps are rising like they were today, this road has a lot of nice, shady tree cover that makes it feel a lot cooler than out in the open.  Another fun reason to take North Carolina is the fun little turtle park near Eastern Market.  This place makes me smile.  So I stopped to finally snap a photo today so I could share the park on my blog.  You can see the one big turtle that anchors the area, but what isn't particularly visible are all the small little rock turtles that edge the rest of the relaxing and whimsical space.  Love it.  It also helps to lighten the mood for the rest of the run.

I finished this one without any real victories or pitfalls, just a decent few miles to add to the tally.  Now I move on to the days of heat advisories and hopefully the ability to get up at o'dark thirty so that I can run when its only 81 degrees out.  Geez.  Oh well, happy trails!!!

Stats -
Miles:  4.36
Time:  37:18 (average pace of 8:33 per mile)
Location:  Capitol Hill, Lincoln Park, Stanton Park
Feeling:  Lighter but still need to work out the hamstrings