Today's Run: A Rad 13.1 Miles Around the McKinley Park Loop

Loops on loops on loops on loops. Thirteen of them and some change, to be exact.

Today was a long run day. On the eve of starting my new job, I decided to close out the last chapter of my life with a half marathon. Around 10 am, I drove to McKinley Park, parked my car on a side street, and started my miles. 

The exterior trail around McKinley Park is a moderately trafficked loop. It’s primarily flat, the ground a mixture of dirt and concrete that’s overall easy on the feet. Patches of mud in the dirt sections provide ample opportunities for slippage, a hazard that kept my steps light and my attention moderately sharp (sometimes slipping can be fun, especially if you get muddy as a result). One can find other runners, walkers, and fitness enthusiasts all around McKinley Park. Yoga groups strike poses in circular formations, cheer teams practice their acrobatic displays, and tennis players volley balls on the fenced-in courts. With so many active people, it’s hard not to be inspired to move.

There are tiny secrets along the loop too. If you don’t look down, you can miss them. Tiny fairy houses sit at the base of a handful of tree trunks. Who put them there is a mystery to me, but I’m thankful that they erected them. I like the idea of tiny humanoids emerging from their domiciles, conducting their mystical business under the cover of twilight. 

But back to my run.   

The going was smooth at the start. During miles one through six, my pace hovered between the 8:15 and 8:39 range. Things started slowly deteriorating between miles seven through 11, not in a major way, but in a way that was definitely noticeable. Seconds kept attaching themselves to my mile times. By mile 12, my pace shifted to 9:42. I finished mile 13 with a 9:49 time. I’m not trying to be a downer by ruminating on lagging times. Those are just the facts of the day. 

But I’m jazzed about my overall half marathon time (even if it was done on a flat loop trail). I finished my run in 1:57:08, averaging an 8:57 pace. I beat my time at the Davis Stampede by 1:50 seconds, so all in all, it was a radical run and a radical day. 

It’d been some time since I ran the McKinley Park loop. Months, actually. Despite this, loops are special to me. Maybe it’s the cyclical nature of them, how they reflect the trajectory of infinity, the ouroboros. Running feels a lot like that to me. Like a snake eating its own tail to satiate its hunger, running is an act that satisfies a deep need in my being while also potentially being destructive. Overtraining can lead to injury, but without training, there are no gains. It’s a tightrope act, requiring focus and patience, intensity and recovery. I’m still finding my balance. 

As I noted before, I’m new to running, but the sport holds sway over me. It reminds me of a story my dad told me about when I was little. Kids are balls of boundless energy. According to my dad, once I was able to walk, I took to running. Clad in diapers, I ran round and round the horseshoe driveway of my childhood home in Whittier, California. Loops on loops on loops on loops. My dad would watch me, and each time I passed by, he asked me to stop. Huffing and puffing, I apparently replied with, “I can’t,” and would run on. 

Over 27 years later, I’ve stumbled upon that well of energy again. At this point, I can’t stop, and even if I could, I don’t think I’d want to. 

Happy running!