Running in Indiana

I attended an academic conference this week at Indiana University in Bloomington, but I made sure to make some time for myself.  I explored the town during a rainstorm, ate Momo at a Tibetan restaurant (a former professor of IU is the older brother of the Dalai Lama), and, of course, I went running.

I ran through campus and enjoyed this little creek and old cemetery.

 I went into an old church and said a little prayer.

 I snapped a picture of this guitar (which I later learned was made out of license plates, street signs, and hubcaps).

 I ran through Dunn's Woods.

And I ran the first annual Firefighter's 5K.  Here are the highlights:

• I walked to the race, which was only a few blocks from my hotel.  After getting my race number and taking a few pictures, a fire fighter got us all to line up.
• The race started promptly at 8:00, and while my legs felt good, I realized immediately that I should have run my race in other clothes.  (I have read lots of advice about not trying anything new on race-day clothing- or diet-wise, but my cute, new Brooks Podium Boy Shorts were calling my name.)  Within a few steps, those cute new sorts made their way up (way up) my thighs.  Not to get too graphic here, but I basically ran in underwear for 3.1 miles.  (I think I am about ten pounds away from being able to wear these shorts and keep them where they are supposed to be.)  While I could have been embarrassed, I decided that that wouldn't serve me well in the race.  So, instead of trying to pull the shorts down every few steps, I just decided to let them be and just run the best race that I could.
• I decided to run without my Garmin, and that was an interesting experience.  On one hand, it was liberating - I didn't have the urge to look down at my wrist every quarter mile to check and double-check my pace.  On the other hand, I had no idea how far I had run (and there were no mile markers on the course).  It wasn't until I got to the turnaround point that I knew I had completed half of the race.  
• My legs and body felt neither energized nor sluggish.  I ran a steady pace and didn't worry about "beating" any other racers.  I just ran for myself and enjoyed the feel of my body running.
• When I saw the finish line, I expected to feel an extra surge that I usually feel at the end of runs/races; I expected to sprint toward the clapping crowd.  But, to my surprise, there was nothing left in my legs, and I just ran it in at the same pace that I ran the rest of my race in.  I crossed the line at 34:14, which averages just over an 11-minute mile.  I didn't get a p.r., but it was my second fastest 5K to date.
• Overall, it was a fun race and a good workout.  I am so glad that I ran a race in Indiana!  This is a picture of me after the race, right before I sat down to breakfast; it was so humid that the sweaty clothes didn't dry by the time I left the conference that evening.  (Nice!)

<3