The Winthorpe's Take to the Lake

The sun was out today and I've been getting a smidge bored with the jogging about neighborhood. So I laced up my sneaks and ventured over to Greenlake for my inaugural run there since I've gotten off my ass and accepted that running isn't evil afterall...I bobbed and weaved my through the thousands of other people who had the same idea as I did, and managed to make it around the lake at a pace that even caught me by surprise. Apparently my recent efforts are paying off.

After catching my breath, I walked another lap, digital camera in tow. Nearly half way to the grandstands, I realized that if I continued to stumble along and take shots here and there, that getting back to my car was going to take several hours. Sure I wanted to enjoy one of the seldom sunny days in Seattle (say that 5 times fast), but a girl has things to do! I came out of hiding from behind my lens, and completed the loop while soaking up my surroundings.

People watching was at its finest. When I'm getting ready to go out and get some exercise, I always slather on the make up and strap on my finest Ugg boots, don't you? Some even mistook the almost 60 degree temperature for a tropical heat wave and dressed themselves in next to nothing.

Families were out in droves. Most notable was a couple with a 2-3 month newborn; the woman had the baby snuggled tightly to her chest, while dad followed closely behind pushing the stroller. Doesn't sound out of the ordinary, but the man was wearing a cable knit sweater with a shirt and tie under it, had loafers on and was puffing away on a cigar! Dude seemed a bit out of place; perhaps he would have fit in better at the local tennis club.

Shortly after passing Biff and Buffy, two young boys went sprinting by. Normally such a sight wouldn't catch my attention, but I noticed that these pre-teens were decked out in the latest and greatest runner's gear like that of a marathoner. And they had good form to boot. Were they training for some sort of race? Perhaps. But the a few questions came to mind...How did kids of this age get into running as a sport/hobby? Children typically chase one another while at play, but ten year olds doing 2.8 mile laps? Something I definitely hadn't witnessed before. One of my questions was answered as I rounded the bend. The boys had met up with their parents, who, you guessed it, were big runners themselves.

Weather.com predicts that the rains are returning tomorrow, so it'll be back inside to the gym for me. Hopefully you took full advantage of the sunshine!!!