legwork/brainwork:
This last Thursday, I forced myself to go on a walk. I haven't been consistent in doing power walks for a couple of months now, but the day was beautiful, I had time to burn, and I wasn't hungover, so thusly there was no excuse.
Usually I pick a point somewhere on or off Capitol Hill and head that way, deviating from my preset course when the whim strikes me. This time I decided the get the fuck out of the neighborhood and go somewhere else. I picked Discovery Park. I hadn't been there in some time, and I was encouraged by the possibility of some beach time and significant elevation changes (gotta keep that heart rate elevated). I took a slooooooow bus ride up to the north end of the park.
Whenever I travel through Magnolia, I always wonder "Who lives here? What goes on here?" I never knew anyone from there when I was growing up, and only know a handful of people who live or have lived there now. There are lots of mid-century apartment buildings on the main drags, but you can still see the fancy-ass homes peeking out from behind them. I can't imagine wanting to rent a place over there. I suppose if I drove it'd be a better option than living in Shoreline or somewhere, but any way you cut it, there's no fast way to get in or out of the place.
I digress: I took the main trail down to the beach. The tide was out and I was able to cover a lot of distance without walking on too many rocks. (My right ankle has been giving me grief, and I hadn't done a big walk in two months, so uneven surfaces are the enemy.) I came across a boat that had run aground a week or so ago. It's named Permanent Address. Isn't it ironic? Doncha think? Oof.
I walked as far as the bluffs, and then a little past where I'd ever been able to on account of the tide. I wasn't sure if I'd be able to find a spot to get off the beach any further south, so I turned back and hoofed it up the main trail back to the north parking lot. I grabbed a bus back as far as Lower Queen Anne. Traffic was fucked on Denny all the way up Capitol Hill, so I bailed out by the Pacific Science Center and hoofed it home, lapping two #8s in the process.
Long walks always do me good. I try to remind myself of that whenever I try to talk myself out of doing one. I feel like I exercise my brain as much as my legs. There's something rewarding about pointing myself in the direction of the highest hill I can find and cruising up it. It reminds me that no matter how out of breath I get or how sore it makes me, I can just go and do it, and every successive time I do it it's easier. And then I want to go find another different, higher hill.
Usually I pick a point somewhere on or off Capitol Hill and head that way, deviating from my preset course when the whim strikes me. This time I decided the get the fuck out of the neighborhood and go somewhere else. I picked Discovery Park. I hadn't been there in some time, and I was encouraged by the possibility of some beach time and significant elevation changes (gotta keep that heart rate elevated). I took a slooooooow bus ride up to the north end of the park.
Whenever I travel through Magnolia, I always wonder "Who lives here? What goes on here?" I never knew anyone from there when I was growing up, and only know a handful of people who live or have lived there now. There are lots of mid-century apartment buildings on the main drags, but you can still see the fancy-ass homes peeking out from behind them. I can't imagine wanting to rent a place over there. I suppose if I drove it'd be a better option than living in Shoreline or somewhere, but any way you cut it, there's no fast way to get in or out of the place.
I digress: I took the main trail down to the beach. The tide was out and I was able to cover a lot of distance without walking on too many rocks. (My right ankle has been giving me grief, and I hadn't done a big walk in two months, so uneven surfaces are the enemy.) I came across a boat that had run aground a week or so ago. It's named Permanent Address. Isn't it ironic? Doncha think? Oof.
I walked as far as the bluffs, and then a little past where I'd ever been able to on account of the tide. I wasn't sure if I'd be able to find a spot to get off the beach any further south, so I turned back and hoofed it up the main trail back to the north parking lot. I grabbed a bus back as far as Lower Queen Anne. Traffic was fucked on Denny all the way up Capitol Hill, so I bailed out by the Pacific Science Center and hoofed it home, lapping two #8s in the process.
Long walks always do me good. I try to remind myself of that whenever I try to talk myself out of doing one. I feel like I exercise my brain as much as my legs. There's something rewarding about pointing myself in the direction of the highest hill I can find and cruising up it. It reminds me that no matter how out of breath I get or how sore it makes me, I can just go and do it, and every successive time I do it it's easier. And then I want to go find another different, higher hill.