I Love Running

They say you don't know what you've got until it's gone. I would have to agree with them-- today I balled my eyes out. It's been a very long time since that has happened. I realized that it's because I was happy with my relationship, and now I'm super sorry to see it go. Running, I miss you. I need you. Please come back to me.

I'm mad at myself for injuring my knee over a stupid football game. I have come to understand that running was always the most important thing. And now I can't do it. I can't take off and clear my head. I can't settle into a zone where I don't feel my body. I can't perpetuate the happiness that running has brought me.

And maybe it sounds a little melodramatic. Thursday I will know if running is gone forever, or just an elusive mistress that will one day be mine again. In the meantime, I am planning on cultivating a new connection-- swimming. Joint-friendly swimming, I think you and I are going to make great friends.

Training or Paining?

Somebody thought it would be a good idea for us to do the triathlon too... so I bought a really cool bike and did a little tri training on Sunday. I only biked 5 miles because I'm not much of a biker yet, and I'm still getting accustomed to it. After that, I hopped straight onto the running path for a 7 mile run. And holy moly-- it is super weird feeling to run after biking. Considering I can barely sit today after yesterday's little exercise soiree-- I am a little nervous about the full tri.

So we'll see how that goes. I haven't officially registered, and I know I should soon because registration will probably close shortly. I still have my doubts, but I guess there's no turning back now! (Just like there's no moving me from this seat today). ** Until I go for another run tonight.

Running Season 2010!!!

Well we kicked off the running season with the Shamrock Shuffle-- a nice little 8k that shares the same starting and ending point as the Chicago Marathon. I'm not sure why the Chicago Marathon committee believes that a good ending point is a nice long hill, but it was good to experience the uphill portion after a much shorter run. I also appreciate the continuity that the running season will have-- starting and ending in the same place.

Anyway, by now you may have guessed that I have decided to run the Chicago Marathon, and you would be correct in that assumption. Last year's journey to the Maui Marathon was truly a transformative experience, and I'm looking forward to embarking upon a similar journey. I'm sure it will be different in many ways-- for one, I'm not having a landmark birthday, and for two, I'm not going to Maui. But I think the training will be different as well. I know what to expect, what to do versus what not to do. And I'm super-excited about the Chicago Marathon-- it's supposed to be one of the best runs in the country. We'll see how it goes...

23 Miles

I did not know why I was running until I ran 23 miles. Somewhere around mile 20, everything clicked. Incidentally, this was also when some new and interesting hormones kicked in.



The sky got very blue very suddenly. My legs and feet stopped aching and a smile spread across my face as though it were it being pasted on. I was talking, laughing, enjoying the run as though it had just begun. There were no thoughts of pushing through the pain because the pain was gone (it would return in spades later).



I experienced a heightened sense of awareness; I felt what it means to push past the point of reason, past the threshold of my own will power, and into the ether. My body was still moving-- at that point out of habit and mechanics-- my mind had reached another level. I felt so close to the people still chugging along beside me, bonded together by the intimacy of accomplishment-- a moment so personal, yet shared.



That's when I fully realized: Anyone can do anything. I'm running all this way simply because I can. What word has ever held such power as can? I am not certain of the answer to that question, perhaps because I have never believed in cannot.

20 Miler... And A Couple Other Jogs

Two weeks ago I ran 20 miles. At the beginning it was exciting and fun; at the end it was grueling and rewarding. Somewhere in between a man ran into a light post and bled rather profusely from his forehead. A woman documented the run with her cell phone and posted it piecemeal on facebook as she went... until she was taken back to the finish line with an injury. Several people were spotted running in odd attire: a red leather dress, a red tutu, and a red feather boa to name a few. A man that none of us had ever seen before joined our running group somewhere around Navy Pier. To top it all off, a bird shit on my head right before we did the last mile. I believe the Italians think that is a good omen. Mostly it was just messy.

There was an 8 miler the week before that, which went seamlessly, and another after the 20 miler, which we purposely cut short. It was really humid and my foot was still in healing mode. Luckily, it seems to be okay now. I'm prepared for a full recovery run this week and a 23 miler the week after that. In the meantime, I will find out if there is any truth to the "good omen" that I furiously scrubbed from my head.

4 Mile Blip

We were supposed to run 8 miles on Saturday, but my foot has been killing me, so to prevent further injury we only ran 4 miles. It was only Gabbi and I-- everyone else was gone, so I didn't feel too bad about keeping it light. Especially since I could barely walk after 4 miles.

But this weekend we'll do the 8 miles again, and this time I will probably feel much better because I gave myself time to heal. The lesson here-- don't overdo it, and always give yourself time to recover. Whether it be your foot, your calves, or your heart-- if it doesn't feel right, it probably needs time. :)

17 Miles

If you ran from Naperville to Schaumburg, that's 17 miles. Or if you ran from Chicago up to Wilmette, that's 17 miles too. Or if you got up at 5 am and ran up and down the lakeshore with my pace group on Saturday, that would have been 17 miles as well. It's a long effin' way on two legs.

So we ran super slow and extra steady with lots of little breaks in between. Despite our diligent care it was difficult to walk immediately afterward, and an hour later Gabbi and I concurred that it felt like someone had taken a baseball bat to our legs.

The run itself was an exercise in will power. There were so many moments that it was tempting to give up and walk the rest or turn around early. For some reason, each time I thought about that it reinforced my resolve to continue. Surrender is never an option.

So we did shots of salt packets in the hot summer sun with the humidity melting the energy out of us. We pounded the warm asphalt in rhythm every time the watch beeped signaling us to run. And we finished 17 miles.