Running as Therapy : Shadowless Days & January Races.

I realized recently how tough it can be to get out on winter days even here in California. Especially on what I think of as shadowless days; days when the sun doesn’t shine. When it really struck me was last week after not seeing the sun for several days and then having my shadow appear to accompany me on a run again. It was nice to welcome the sun back.

My first race in January was one I had run before the Polar Dunk 5K. I ran it several years ago with my niece Brandy and she was in town to do it again this year. It was a beautiful day but after several days of rain the course was a muddy mess. It was a slow race because the footing was so bad but it was fun.

I didn’t race the next two weekends but made up for it in the last weekend of the month by making it a weekend trip and running races in Fresno and Madera. I felt good and enjoyed both races. The Pirate Booty Run was held in Woodward Park in Fresno and was a large race all on blacktop. It was a hilly course but nothing to difficult.

On Sunday I ran the Sycamore Island 5K a race I actually thought about doing last year but it didn’t work out. It was a beautiful course at the San Joaquin River overflow. The morning started foggy but was beautiful by race time. I actually thought my time was going to be faster than Saturday’s because the course was mostly flat and I felt good. The course was gravel and hard sand though so it probably had some influence on times because all race times were slower overall than the Pirate race. The reality is that time didn’t matter it was a beautiful day, a beautiful course, a fun atmosphere and I managed to win the 60-60 age group.