All Change For Zoo Station

Variety,we are lead to believe is the spice of life and while I don't disagree I also stick close to the principle that "tried and tested" also works so for a self confessed creature of habit like me that means that the "Change Is Good" mindset is a conflict of interests......however I'm not that far gone that I won't switch things up when circumstances dictate,it's all well and good having a routine but if you can't be flexible w/ it you're gonna come unstuck somewhere down the road trust me.

W/ Sundays Track Pentathlon on tap not only is my Sunday long run off the schedule I also need to switch things up this week if I want to "have my cake and eat it" and get a 5 day 40 mile week in which would explain the two 10 milers on tap Monday and again Thursday this week,it'll be good practice for a couple of weeks time post 5th Avenue Mile when I transition into off season training and there'll be two 10 milers a week on my schedule as I up my 40mpw tally to 50mpw but more of that closer to Sept 15th.
So having explained why I was out there on Monday over 10 miles I now have to explain why I was doing so at the ungodly hour of 9.30am!!!!!!

My sister and brother in law were in Philly over the weekend so I took Monday off work to hang out w/ them but b4 that could happen the "thou must train" comandment had to be invoked ergo why yours truly was "getting his run on" at 9.30am!!!!!
Obviously it's only on rare occassions I get to run that early on a weekday,weekends and holidays maybe but seldom otherwise so I took full advantage of the fact the banks and Kelly Dr were near deserted,it'll be a different story on Thursday when I return to the tried and tested 4.20pm time slot.

The run its self was non discript,having taken care of business over 14 miles on Sunday a 10 miler should come as no challenge and it didn't.....that said I'm glad I have a rest day between the is 10 miler and my next track workout on Wednesday as i'm feeling a little a little "dead from the knees down" but that could be a result of 24 miles in two days.
Run taken care of it was off to the Philadelphia Zoo for a couple of hours w/ my sister,it's been a while since I last set foot inside America's first Zoo.
I recall a number of years ago when I resumed running on a regular basis {2001}there was a 10k called the A To Z 10k which began at the Camden Aquarium and finished at the Philadelphia Zoo and as part of the entry fee for the race you were allowed free admission into the Zoo post race which was a fun way to unwind after the race.

Sadly the A To Z 10k folded and became the Ben Franklin Bridge 10k which while not w/out its charms isn't the same as the A To Z race,I spent he best part of three hours in the Zoo on Monday,obvously there have been a lot of renovations there over the past 13 years but the chance to see the animals up close was a treat