Same Road, a Different Day

Today was my long run of the week, 12 miles. I did the same route as last weeks 11 mile run, just added an extra 1 mile loop at the end. Even though it was the exact same run, it's amazing how a little sunshine could change things so much. Last week, the whole route was covered in an incredibly dense fog. This week, there wasn't a cloud in the sky. Even Mr. Pumpkin head had been removed from the rod he had been perched on. Even though it was about 30 degrees cooler today than it had been earlier in the week (gotta love spring in the midwest), it was the perfect day for a run. Seagulls, geese, and ducks were enjoying the patches of open water that had appeared in what had been solid ice covering the river. A couple of people were even taking advantage of the rising water to get a little fishing in off one of the bridges along my route. Not even a blister that started on my heel about 5.5 miles in (somehow along the run, I ended up with a huge hole in my sock) could ruin my good mood. It is days like these that remind me why I run in the first place.

Side note: Luckily, the rising flood waters haven't yet washed out the lower parts of the road along the river. It was amazing to see just how much higher the river was this week compared to last. Trees were half submerged and areas that are normally well above the river bank were completely underwater. The river is normally pretty calm as it goes through these channels, but the current today as it was forced under the bridges was pretty intense. Fingers crossed that the flooding has hit it's peak for now.