Halloween Decorations: updated

Today's run was 8 miles and I decided to go through Stephanie and David's neighborhood.  It took a bit of looping around, but I ran around there twice, then back to my neighborhood and added on a teeny bit at the end.  Booyah, 8 miles.  And the weather was not awful.  I was a bit concerned because it is more hot and humid today than it has been a while.  Tonight it should cool off again.  A friend at work said that it might get down to 54F tonight.  Whoa.

The most fun part of my run was meeting a little dog named Chrissy today.  Chrissy was supposed to follow her owner back to the house and didn't, so instead we hung out for a bit.  I figured that being a tiny dog, maybe Chrissy would not want to finish another 2 miles with me.  Then she went back inside.  Also, I saw a dog in a bike basket today.  Only one.  I think that it was a different person.  So apparently taking your dog around in a bike basket is trendy in this neighborhood.

On to the Halloween decorations:

I'm not sure that fake spiderweb on the shrubs is that good a look.

Like I said, this neighborhood is in the Halloween spirit!

This would be a lot of fun if you were a kid, I think.

I'm not sure that I would want a large, fake spider on my porch in Florida.  Too similar to a large, real spider.

This is actually at the house that was featured last time.  A later add.  I wonder if they also put it up for Gasparilla, Tampa's local pirate festival.

These next few photos are all taken from the same place.  Remember the house with the ghost link fence from last time?  They've expanded a bit.

This is *just* the driveway.

The whole yard.

Close-up of the ghosts out front.

For the final picture, I have included a yard that is not in any way decorated for Halloween but would be the perfect setting for some kind of Southern horror story, I think:

That swing is spooky!

5 mile hill course = piece of cake!

Today was another one of the 5 miles with hills (ha!) run and I did the same course that I've run the past few Tuesdays.  I was very tired this morning due to California (still!), so I decided to go later.  It hasn't rained in weeks.  *Weeks*!  Plus it continues to be cooler.  I can't help but think that these two things are related.  Since there was no rain in the forecast, I figured I was safe and yes, there was no scary Florida weather.  Somewhat pleasant, in fact, considering it was still in the 80s, but it was the low 80s with the sun setting.

It's getting dark early.  Already by 7:30pm, the sun had set.  Oh well, that will change in a few weeks with Daylight Savings...which I am not looking forward to, since I will have to get up even earlier to run!

The first half of today was not the most fun run I have ever done.  I felt like I had done a long run one day, then sat on a cramped airplane the next day for an extended amount of time.  Likely, this feeling stemmed from the fact that that is how I spent my Saturday and Sunday.  There were definitely a lot of creaky, weird things to start.  I was reminded of one of my favorite running books, What I Talk About When I Talk About Running by Haruki Murakami.  It is a collection of random musings about running by someone who has been doing it for a quarter of a century (and writing novels when he isn't running).  Also, he spends a lot of time running by the Charles River since he was in Cambridge when he wrote this book.  It made me want to lace up my shoes and go straight back to Boston when I first read it -- I was in Florida at the time.  Anyway, one of my favorite parts concerns an interview that Murakami does with Toshihiko Seko, an Olympic runner.  Murakami asks if there are ever days when a runner 'at your level ever feel[s] like you'd rather not run today?'  Seko looks at him as though he is insane and responds, 'Of course!  All the time!'  [I'm not citing from the actual book here, so I don't have the page number, but an excerpt was in the New Yorker and this was on 77 of the June 9 & 16, 2008 issue].  I had quite a bit of this today at the start of my run since I felt vaguely like I was trudging through mud or something.  My legs were definitely not feeling it.  However, once I settled into it, things went fine.  Very well, in fact.  The final two miles felt very good.

It's funny how 5 miles now seems easy.  Back in August, these were my 'long runs,' after all.  Not sure if longer distances, such as 10 miles, will ever feel like this.  Here is hoping.

I was in the golf course neighborhood.  Looks like Halloween decorations are going up slowly but surely.  However, Stephanie and David's neighborhood still takes the cake.  Don't worry, I haven't forgotten and there will be photos this week.

Day behind

Yesterday was a 7-mile run in the continued ridiculously pleasant Florida weather.  I wore a running shirt with sleeves if you can imagine.  It was in the 60s I think throughout the run -- very unusual.  The route was around Stephanie and David's neighborhood, then with an extended route back through my neighborhood.  Pretty sure I wouldn't have wanted to do this in warmer weather because there were a lot of exposed places in the sun.

There are tons more Halloween decorations in Stephanie and David's neighborhood.  Pics to follow.  Also, I saw the woman with the dogs in the bike basket.

I didn't get a chance to write yesterday because I had to get to California, where I am now.  So pretty!  And cool.  In the low 60s right now.  Tomorrow's run, which will hit various scenic places around San Francisco, should be a pleasure.

Halloween is coming

Today I braved the icky conditions and decided to run in the morning anyway.  The Office and 30 Rock are on later, after all.  As I was running, I noticed that my time was very slow.  Like, horrible long run of a few weeks ago slow.  I got frustrated with myself, wondering why my time was so bad and wanting to be a better runner and all kinds of other things that I had plenty of time to contemplate since it was a 7-mile run.  Then when I checked the weather, I realized that, in fact, it had been over the ick threshold for the whole time.  Lesson learned: slow running -- particularly when you have been training consistently -- is probably the result of disgusting weather.  We're talking temperature in the 70s with humidity of 90% icky.  At least some of it was overcast.

The run took place in parts of Stephanie and David's neighborhood (still did not see Stephanie), then I came back over to my part and finished there.  It would seem that several of Stephanie and David's neighbors have put up Halloween decorations already.  Also, it would seem that some of them are pretty into Halloween decorations.  Here are some of the highlights that I saw today:

These two photos are of different parts from the same house.

When I ran by this morning, the ghost was deflated.

Apparently, you do not want to cross into this yard.  They have ghosts guarding it.

One of the houses was particularly ready for Halloween.  All of the remaining photos were from the same place:

This is at the start of the street.  Makes me wonder if more people usually dress up their houses.

Fact: most of the houses that had Halloween decorations up already also had fancy mailboxes.

I feel like 'spooky' and 'palm tree' just don't blend, somehow.

This is the spooky graveyard.

These inflatable things are popular.  I feel like this one is more Thanksgiving-themed, though.

I wonder how the bears feel about being usurped during Halloween.