Ran the Depot Parkrun 5K Here in Gainesville This Morning

Having goofed up and missed the main race I was going to run in April (Hawthorne's "Run Your Buns Off" half marathon on the 8th), I decided today, a couple of weeks later, to mosey on down to my hometown of Gainesville's Depot Park, just a few blocks south of downtown and the site of a free 5K race held every Saturday morning...this was my 13th run since I began in 2019.  I usually drive down Main Street to get there, living on the northern fringe of the city.  This morning marked the opening day for the semiannual Friends of the Library book sale, which is located on the 400 block of North Main and starts at 9 am.  But at 7, when I drove by on the way to the park, there was already a long line of people standing outside the warehouse where the sale was to take place...guess they had nothing better to do: I'd still be in bed sleeping if I didn't have this race to run.  Ditto for the folks in their long line at a bagel shop further down the road...but at least that place was already open!  Seems like there were a few more people at today's race than usual.  The temperature was a pleasant enough 63 degrees, but the humidity was a punishing, extremely muggy 98%: ouch!  I wore my relatively new Nike Air Monarch shoes with wide width and toe space, heavier than your typical running shoes but kinder on the feet...I'm not looking to set any records anyway.  The shoes served me well, but that awful humidity didn't, and I wondered early on in the race whether I'd finish running it or have to walk part of the way. And then the proverbial "second wind" kicked in when my body synced with my environment, and I found my groove...a wonderful thing to experience.  My final time...nothing to brag about...was 32:47. But I kept my continuity going and look forward to the next race, which if anything will probably be just as muggy, only hotter.  Click on HERE to view today's race results. By the way, at the top of that results page, if you click "Home" then you'll get some information about the Parkrun and how you can sign up to be a part of it, which involves getting a barcode printed out that you take to the race to be scanned: no racing bibs here...