Monday's Birthday Diva Run

COVID-19, “The Rona Era”

It’s Labor Day. Instead of resting, I’m running. It’s Katonya’s annual Birthday Diva Run. Katonya, my other co-ambassador for black girls’s run has celebrated her birthday, with a run on Blue Hill Ave since 2016. We didn’t do it last year because of COVID. This year it was on. Actually, this is a great way to celebrate labor day. Our mental and physical labor are needed to run. Also for me , I reflected on the unpaid, unappreciated, under paid folks who are working and the amount of continuous community and activism that is needed to support workers right.

Katonya’s birthday diva run always starts at 6 a.m. Everyone can run and then have the rest of Monday to cookout or do nothing. Katonya had music, water stops, food, metals, hand sanitizers, a cheer squad..it’s a whole production. This year, we had the men of Black Men Run show up and some new folks who came to run the Diva run.

It was great to see so many of the ladies in person. I’ve missed seeing their faces and just catching up. After we gathered, we had to run. We thought it was suppose to rain, it sprinkled a bit, but it was clear, humid, and muggy morning at 6:45a.m. Before we started, Katonya, had an instructor for the Dorchester Y, get us started and warm us up.

I wanted to take it slow, since going to my pelvic PT and working on my tight pelvic floor. I took it easy. What I forgot was the inclines on Blue Hill Ave. It’s different running it than driving on it. Blue Hill Ave is part of the heart of Boston. It through Milton, Mattapan, and Roxbury. We started at the Milton/Mattapan line. Running on it, you can see the diversity and inequality of the neighborhoods. We did a 4.50 mile down to the corner of Blue Hill Ave and Dudley then turned back. The route is over 8 miles, around 8.70. At least that is what my track keeper kept.

In the morning hours you see everything. The pimps, drug dealers, addicts, prostitutes, mural art, trash, and folks going to work. Running down Blue Hill Ave, it becomes apparent, very quickly, this isn’t a space for running. There is nothing that is welcoming for those that want to walk or run. There is a bike line on a section of Blue Hill ave but it’s not the full length of the street.

I would have stopped and taken more pictures but I wanted to focus on my running and breathing. There was a tightness when I ran but I was functional. I was very much aware of my breathing. Stopping at the two water stops helped. I had to go slow because of the humidity and the incline. I might have stopped to walk a couple of times but I kept going.

To my surprise I was the first person to cross the finish line. I know I’m rusty running such a long distance. This is the furthest I’ve run since my surgery. I realized that the women running today are all training( a good majority) for Chicago or Boston Marathon. This was a chill run for them. Katonya ran 16 miles on Sunday and was running 8.70 miles today. Craziness.

What warmed my heart was crossing the finish line with Captain Jeff from BMR. We chatted and ran together for the last 1 mile. I’ve never did that before.

When we crossed, I felt fine. I was tight in the pelvic area. I still ran close to 9 miles. That told me that I can do a half marathon. I just need to start training for it.

I missed the running motivation and spirit of being around the ladies and men. I’m glad I got it today.

8.70 miles; 1:33:40 duration, 10:46 ave mile pace.

Mile 1: 10:50

Mile 2: 10:32

Mile 3: 10:30

Mile 4: 10:35

Mile 5: 10:02

Mile 6: 12:08

Mile 7:10:20

Mile 8: 9:49

Mile 8.70: 12:28