Seeing Orange

Monday 11/6, Run #79: Sheepshead Bay, Midwood, Marine Park

Distance: 10.28 miles
Time: 1:15
Pace: 7:18
Temp: 42
Dewpoint: 28
Weather: sunny

click on image for interactive map

Unique Miles Today: 8.07
Total Unique Miles: 621.59
Percent of Brooklyn Run: 35.67

For the complete route, click here

Notes: Maybe it was the day off yesterday, or the perfect autumnal weather this morning, or perhaps even the lingering excitement from watching the marathon, but I recorded one of my faster runs today (over ten miles in an hour and fifteen minutes). Moreover, it felt great -- sure, my heels are still bothering me, but I felt light and quick, as if running was somehow the most natural activity in the world and I could've kept going indefinitely. I even had enough in reserve that I sprinted the last few blocks. Days like this are rare, of course, so I tried to enjoy it while it lasted.

Most of the route today was in Midwood and the northeast corner of Sheepshead Bay (what some folks refer to as Madison), allowing me to fill in some remaining gaps in the latter neighborhood and move it into the "completed" list. It's pretty encouraging, too, since seeing the "big map" fill up with bright orange ink is gradually (and cautiously) allowing me to think that I might actually pull this whole thing off -- a conceit that I hadn't really indulged until recently. Yeah, I know, I've still got over a thousand miles to go, but still.

Anyway, Midwood has a substantial Jewish population, something that was reflected in many of my photos today. The portions of both Midwood and Sheepshead Bay/Madison I ran today were also mostly residential, with scenic, tree-lined streets (made even more appealing by the touch of fall foliage and the bright sunshine). On a related note (related to Midwood's Jewish community, not the fine weather), I've noticed that a good number of the pictures I take in general on my runs have religious subjects. I certainly don't have any agenda here -- mosques, churches, synagogues, and statuary representing various faiths and sects are all represented (and if I come across a shrine to Ganesh or a Shinto temple or even a fancifully-decorated atheist meeting hall I'd probably take pictures of them, too). It's just that I photograph things that catch my eye (as well as things I'd like to think capture a sense of the place I'm running), and quite often these things have a religious theme or subtext. Brooklyn, as often suggested, is indeed a city of distinct neighborhoods, often comprised of very specific religious or ethnic communities. It's one of the things I like best about the borough (though gentrification is certainly taking its toll in some areas).

Oh, and tomorrow's Election Day, so if you don't do anything else, please go out and vote. In the meantime, however, here are today's photos:


In a tiny yard outside a building on Kings Highway


One of the many Art Deco apartment buildings along Kings Highway


Along Nostrand Avenue in Midwood


Parking lot on Nostrand Avenue


Restaurant on Avenue N


Also on Nostrand Avenue