As Jane can attest, I don't live in the greatest neighborhood. It isn't awful, and it is surrounded by nicer neighborhoods but if you want TOTALLY NUDE GIRLS or a massage at 11 o'clock at night with "parking in the back" my hood is the place to be.
Hey, I am a teacher, in California, that owns a house. It is what it is.
This does however create an interesting running environment since I run at 4 in the morning. I usually run two 2.1 mile loops around my neighborhood and for the most part I can stay within the residential area which is quite nice. Older homes, mostly older people and young families, like I said pretty nice. But there is one 0.6 mile stretch where I have to venture into Pervertland.
I hang a right at the liquor/adult video and "toy" store and proceed up Degenerate Row (not the real name of the street, but added for effect). Sometimes I see the girls getting off work from the Pink Poodle, but usually I am alone. This morning while running by the sketchy alley that already gives me the creeps (and according to Garmin makes for my fastest splits. Fear, the great motivator) I catch a whiff of what is unmistakably NOT cat urine, but sugary, 'I drink so much my kidneys are spilling glucose', Bum urine. ICK!
Fortunately the fine specimen that had produced the urine was not still hanging around.
It was a great run. My first since the 50K, but I could have done without the Bum urine.
10 comments:
Oh, urine isn't that bad. When you come to visit Boston I'll show you the alley next to my house, near the gay bar, where if you're lucky you can find a used condom.
Hope you're doing okay, and congrats on the 50K. You rock!
Sorry I haven't been around lately, what with the stock market crashing and the ole marathon being 20 days away, my life isn't my own!
Funny how fear is such a motivator to run fast. I saw a guy on my trail run last week (who I think was homeless and lived under the bridge near the trail) and I didn't want to offend him by turning around and running the other way, but really picked up the pace. He didn't make eye contact with me, I think so not to scare me, and he was gone when I went back that way.
Nice run after your 50k!
Nice... bum urine! Something to look forward to every morning!! I like the pink poodle sign!! Do the girls join you on your run?
Sadly I know that smell all too well. I get my fastest moments on the bike going under the viaduct not far from my home.
Ahhhh...life is urban Cali...aren't all neighborhoods in the city like that? I get the same thing if I run 1 mile to the south...
I absolutely LOVE that you took a photo of the Pink Poodle.
Hey I was in the area and had to go OK! Sorry about that, the Pink Poodle kicked me out and what's a guy supposed to do????
Great to hear you're back to running but ick is right!! That area would make me run faster too. Hope you're packing some pepper spray.
Its 11am and I got skeeved by that, forget at 4am.
I, too, have had a couple of my own "run faster because of fear" situations. Funny how the adrenaline just kicks right in.
:)
HAHAHA - OMG - you totally just described running through the French Quarter here in New Orleans. The Mardi Gras marathon runs right through the Quarter. Imagine 13,000 sweaty stinky runners squeezed into a teeny, tiny narrow street riddled with alcohol, trash, urine, and vomit with drunks and transvestites cheering you on. It's a great, entertaining race!!!
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