Well, That Was Fun

I was in Durham yesterday. Downtown.


In some ways, I feel sorry for Durham. Let's be honest, it has a poor reputation, a reputation that precedes itself. I can attest to this because for more than 5 years, I tried to lease shopping center space in Durham to outsiders, people and businesses who'd "done their homework" and were caught up in statistics only - not willing to hear about the good things this culturally diverse city had to offer. In someways, Durham has only itself to blame in that they continually, openly air their dirty laundry. Unlike Chapel Hill (which I also love), which tends to keep its skeletons in the closet, its statistics a bit padded and its head in the fluffy white clouds of the Carolina blue
sky. Don't be fooled, there is crime and ugliness in even the best of towns.

All of this came flooding back to me yesterday as I spent the morning downtown in the Bull City. I didn't spend much time thinking back. Instead, I thoroughly enjoyed the old buildings, the architecture, the typical downtown streets and crossroads and, of course, the hustle and bustle of race day.


The runners met here at Durham Central Park. In addition to the registration tent, there were small vendors set up along the street selling their wares and bobbles to anyone who might have some disposable income left. (*Note the little dude there in the lower right corner of the photo in the blue shorts. If I'm correct, he was the overall winner. Of course he was, just look at him.).

In addition to the race, the weekly Farmers' Market was going on. Wow...I could've spent a fortune in there. Tomatoes, garlic bunches, strawberries - oh, the strawberries, beautiful garden bouquets, goat soap, lettuce, bread, cheese...all locally grown and some organic. And the vendors working in this pavilion selling these healthy choices were, well, a little homegrown themselves. As I mentioned above, a diverse people.

I mentioned in my post yesterday that I'd never participated in this event. That's probably because it's never happened before! Yesterday was the inaugural for Running With The Bulls. And for first timers, Bull City Running Company did a wonderful job. The course was winding, somewhat challenging with hills and twists and bends, it was safely monitored by the Durham Police Department and countless volunteers and it showcased this cool city beautifully. A job well done folks! I wouldn't think twice about doing it again!

And it was somewhat of a personal best for me! I averaged a ten minute mile, finishing 5.01 miles in 50:35. Here at home, I tend to run a mile in 10:36 - 11:05. So knocking off up to a minute per mile is awesome in my little achievement book! I was just a little sad that I didn't have anyone there to share my accomplishment with! Oh well, maybe next time. Although they do say running is a lonely sport.

Oh, and the tech shirt DID have that cool logo on it - in black and red! I'm telling you this for free people, get involved in this sport and you'll build up quite the collection of really neat tees!