Day 4,402—Art Day in Webster—

 

    Start time: 8:03 a.m.

    Weather: Mid-High 50s, 6-7 mi/h wind

I was hoping I would feel rested, but the cats were in my face early, and everyone was awake after 6 this morning. My kids were asking me to do something before I left, and I was just waiting until I finished at least two cups of coffee. I hadn’t decided exactly what I would run this weekend, but when I started, I figured today would be a 20-mile day and tomorrow would be between 10 and 14. I am not sure how many miles I will run Monday through Friday, but around 15 total seems about right. Next Saturday is the Berryman!

    I was thinking I was going to try a similar loop run like I have been doing this week. That run was a simple 5, but could I figure out a 10-mile version? I decided I would start by taking the long way to the Gravois entrance of Grant’s Farm. I saw people just starting to arrive. I saw the gates at the trailhead and wondered if they’re discouraging people from parking for free and walking the trail there.

    So many people were out, walkers, runners, and bikers! I went all the way to the Kirkwood Trailhead, then into Kirkwood, and then started heading towards home on East Adams. If I hadn’t gone to the track to finish out the 20-mile run, it would have been a little over 13 miles, which is a good distance to have a solid loop for.

    In Webster, I saw all these people sitting outside painting. The first time I saw one, I thought it was interesting, maybe they were a professional painter? But once I saw the groups doing it and the signs, it was clear it was a kind of special day in Webster. I thought about talking to someone and doing a profile, almost just out of curiosity. I wondered if they were doing paintings of Webster, or if it was mostly about sitting outside with the sign up?

    I was happy I was moving a little faster, but I also got so tired after about 13 miles and had to take a moment to meditate for a few minutes after I got some water in Blackburn. Once I finished running on the track, I noticed a sign up “in memory of Ray Landry.” It looks like he died when he was 19 in the year 1968. I wonder who paid for this sign and how he passed. I notice so many placards like that on the park bench in Blackburn, too. For whatever reason, having some kind of memorial on a park bench seems so nice. It is like that person’s memory is now sitting with everyone at the park.