- In which we note the weather
- 63, partly cloudy.
- This is important because…
- In Houston, it’s already like six billion degrees.
- Why this didn’t matter as much as you’d think
- In Kansas, the ground does this weird thing where it goes up and down, so “running” often involves “climbing” as far as this flatlander is concerned. Ow.
- What else is weird about running in the sprawl of KC
- Wildlife next to the thoroughfares: squirrels, rabbits, and curiously tame geese. Also, goose shit; seriously, if it was any bigger, I think we’d have to consider them mammals.
- Final score
- 3.5 to 4 miles, about 45 minutes. Left the Garmin at home. Oops.
Miscellaneous Heathen
Hold to the now, the here, through which all future plunges to the past.
My brother lives in Overland Park, and my first impression on seeing his place (note that this was in winter) was, “Damn, how flat, cold, grey, and ugly can you get?” So Houston’s flatter and hot to boot? Bring your ass to NC, where even a city at the edge of the Piedmont (french for “foot mountain”) would probably kill ya. Watch those knees! Oh yeah, and the bookstore’s shopping center is regularly visited by flocks of Canada geese, who have learned to say, “Look how big our turds are, eh?”
Well, Houston is coastal plain, which tends to be pretty fucking flat. Like, there are no hills in Houston at all unless you count the banks to the bayous (and you don’t).
In the part of Overland Park I’m in, there are definitely some rolling hills. It’s not Austin hilly or NC hilly, but it was enough that my legs are sore, and I’ve been running for nearly 5 months now.
(If it means anything to you or your bro, my hotel is at Metcalf and 112th, just a little south of Metcalf and College, and very near the Sprint campus.)
My brother has several friends working at Sprint, one of whom is on our fantasy baseball team (yes, we’re geeks, but you knew that). Wouldn’t be good to run here now; the temperature is decent but the humidity is already sky-high due to all the, you know, rain. My wife can’t go running (knees), so we go to the Y instead. Or, more accurately lately, intend to go but don’t. Your stick-to-it-iveness is inspirational.