I haven't been blogging much the past couple of weeks. First I was on vacation/home renno time for a week and then I came back to the two busiest weeks of the year for someone in my profession. For any of you contemplating doing something similar, I'd say it is about as bright an idea as violating the golden 10% rule we are all beholden to.
Anyway, tonight the plan called for six miles. Lately, I've been letting go and just following my plan - no broad strokes or romantic dashes, just putting the old head down and following the plan. I decided to drive about a mile to a little section of graveled dike access road that covers about 1.8 miles if you start at one end and run it as an out and back circuit. I took Jonah and was looking forward to a quiet and peaceful time of easy rhythms, repetitive motion, and maybe some interesting podcasts.
What I forgot was that this little ribbon of gravel is the most noticeable landscape feature in a fairly densely populated residential area. The dike hugs the line where the floodplain meets the hills. By curtaining the floodplain in the 2.5 miles or so between two adjoining rivers our city planners created a pleasantly flat and dry area for suburbia to flourish. Now all the houses on the lower parts of the hill look down on the dike road and it towers gently above all the houses in the floodplain. Anyone standing in the kitchens of any of those houses probably looks at that .9 miles worth of trail and thinks to themselves, “Man, I really need to start getting some exercise.” Before I started training for a marathon (k-k-k-crazy!), I fit in here, slowing chugging through a leisurely almost two miles and then going home.
Tonight I arrived, right after dinner time, in my technical gear, with my hydration plan, ear buds, two-layer Wright socks, and a slight sense of unworthiness if my average mile pace were to creep above about 9 minutes. I did a quick out and back on another side road and then commenced running back and forth on the dike. I passed about 9 groups of walkers multiple times. At first I felt energized and flattered by their encouraging calls of “Hey, you’re a really good runner!” or “I’m going to be running like that in a week, right! Ha ha!”
I ran faster and faster, holding my head up and feeling good about myself. I was even pleased because my dog was better behaved than any of their dogs. Then I started to feel like a bit of a putz. I started to feel like that college sophmore who shows up at the high school party and flexes his muscles. Not like I’m Mr. Hotstuff or anything but I’ve graduated past the level where women feel uncomfortable about setting out to exercise and change themselves for the better without wearing a lot of makeup and hairspray and you see old men wearing jeans and work shoes who meet your eye aggressively as if daring you to question the proposition that they’re not actually there to exercise but are maybe instead simply walking to work… along the dike… at six thirty at night…
Tonight I went back to my old stomping ground and found out I’d outgrown it. As Ljisaak says, “2 months, 20 days.” Let’s roll.
4 comments:
had similar experince last week. was feeling like a stud, totally rhythmic and graceful like a, um, (insert graceful running animal). then i somehow found myself in the middle of a KIDS 5k and had to STRUGGLE to pass a couple of 10 yr olds before STRUGGLING to pass this other 10 yr old before realizing i wasn't gonna do it. but run proud, run fast.
ps am so glad you and ljisaak are suu-u-u-uch great friends.
Quit flexing your muscles...you are making the rest of us look bad!
Meanie!
2 and 20! Now it's 2 and 18! Holy Elvis, Batman, I can't believe December is that close.
drew - i myself was SHOCKED when i saw that. i'm not sure i thought holy elvis batman but my memory is not long.
i even had to call sis to confirm she was serious! (no, i could not check a calendar)
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