Discovery Park is one of my favorite running places in Seattle. It has the best of everything: great running trails, amazing views of the sound, and forest surroundings that make you forget its part of the city. I woke up this morning to a backlog of pathology and physiology reading for nursing school. Not the type of day I jump out of bed eager for...but it's the reality. After 3 hours of reading my brain was fried. The weather was crisp (39 degrees at 10am) but I decided a run was the perfect thing to clear my head. I loaded the two dogs (my Lab Lucy and a Beagle/Wiener dog mix named Gumbo I'm dog sitting for the weekend) and headed off to Discovery park. Just as we pulled into the parking lot the rain started....not a light Seattle mist but full on rain. I debated about waiting for it to clear but my most enjoyable runs usually end up being in the rain. There's something child-like about dashing through puddles, not worrying about wet shoes or soaked clothing. My dog Lucy has had several surgeries, which limits her running. I usually get my run in and finish by taking her for a 1-2 mile walk. Gumbo seemed very excited about the prospect of running though...even in the rain. So I clipped on his leash and we were off. I'm not sure what made this run so amazing - the location, new music on my IPod, doggy running partner or the rain but Gumbo and I flew around the park. We finished the 3.2 mile loop just under 23 minutes and it felt fantastic! No running pains, no negative thoughts, no wanting the run to be over....this type of run is few and far between sometimes.
Lucy, Gumbo and I also completed a 1.5 mile walk/jog around the bluff that overlooks the sound. I enjoy letting the dogs off in this area because of the tall grass. Lucy loves running through the trails in the tall grass and we usually play hide and seek - she runs ahead, I hide somewhere and wait for her to come find me. I swear she smiles every time she discovers my hiding spot. Gumbo and Lucy had a great time chasing each other through the field and we finished with a slow jog back to the car. I don't make it to Discovery as much as I like with my busy school schedule but I have never had a bad run in this beautiful park.
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