Melissa came roaring back onto the running scene with a 4-miler this morning in Central Park despite a late-night setback when she discovered that the start time was 9 a.m. rather than 10 a.m. Under gray skies and the watchful gaze of the Pope*, Melissa took a spin around the park from the band shell up around the reservoir at a pace that defied her personal expectations (in a good way). This reporter, however, was not surprised.
The event was the Run for the Parks, benefiting the City Parks Foundation. Tiny energy bars were provided, as were little cubes of the hottest Pepper Jack cheese I’ve encountered.
After her run, Melissa was pleasant and talkative, even trying to talk me into a movie on the way home.
*The Pope’s temporary residence overlooked the starting area; part of the police presence is visible in one of these pictures.
Congratulations, Melissa. And congratulations to Pete who seemed to be running ahead of her, backwards. I’m sure the Pope was very impressed with both of you.
A few more pictures are up on Flickr.
Melissa, you are definitely the cutest runner out there. I like the pink a lot. Just because you are running a race doesn’t mean you should look boring in a white t-shirt.
The big smile – was that after you got a mini Cliff bar?