Sunday, October 26, 2008

Art Museum

Its been a while since I've run the drives and given that it was such a beautiful fall morning, how could I resist? Of course there was some sort of regatta silliness going on and possibly a 5k run or something, making for nearly mob-like conditions. Luckily the parking gods smiled upon me (I had a weird feeling they would) and I found a spot across the street from Lloyd Hall.

It was one of those autumn mornings where it is crisp and sunny, making me unsure whether to wear warmer clothing. I was later glad that I left the long sleeves behind. I wasn't sure how this run would go. I haven't run more than six miles since late August. Most of my runs have been around four. Still, I wanted to run the drives and I figured that one way or another I'd get myself around the loop.

Not surprisingly, it was slow going the whole way around. I averaged about 9:10 miles which is a bit humbling, but I was really more focused on getting in the distance and trying not to feel too beat up.... Oh yeah, and enjoying the beautiful day. I've been having a bit of back pain recently and I found myself stopping to stretch my back out a few times as I made my way around the loop. I NEED to strenghten my back more. I really do not want a repeat of last June's torture.

So, I ran 8 of the 8.5 miles of the loop (73:15) and was happy enough with that. The best part of the run was stretching by the Lincoln statue and watching happy dogs chase frisbees and each other.

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Somehow it wasn't as bad as I thought

You know it's bad when you're fighting to stay awake during a therapy session at 3pm. Luckily I think I managed to fake wakefulness pretty well. Yes, it was a beautiful fall day... a nice one for running... with one exception. It was windy... one of my most hated weather conditions. The Weather Channel said the winds were blowing at 18mph, gusting to above 30.

I called Seebo for a pep-talk. He wasn't immediately available, but his return call was, lets just say, less than inspiring. Now I'm sure I'm interpreting this a bit liberally... but it was something along the lines of "Get yer fat arse out the door!". No, of course, Seebo isn't THAT stupid... he didn't say that.

A nap sounded much better, but somehow... despite being tired and wind-shy... I made it out the door and headed to Tinicum for yet another trip around the lower loop. Yes, it was windy - so much so that I had that running-in-place feeling much of the time. But, as the title suggests, it wasn't all that bad. My legs felt pretty fresh and my lungs felt kind of actually good. Huh.... who knew?

I've long since given up trying to figure out when a run will go well and when it won't. I almost wanted to start timing my runs again....... I said almost.

Sunday, October 19, 2008

Full Circle

Once again.... the blogging has been less frequent than the running.

I've run several times since my last entry.... nothing terribly notable. I've done the lower Tinicum loop a few times and maybe a treddy run or two. It's been a slow process, trying to regain my fitness.

Most of my runs lately have hovered right around the four mile mark, so yesterday I decided to try to go longer. I wanted to do something I used to call the Seebeka loop - essentially, the lower loop of Tinicum with a mini upper loop, without going around the lake.

Looking back in my blog, I see that I ran this loop almost exactly a year ago. Reading that entry is depressing me right now as I was in such a different place with my running. I also see that I was about to begin dealing with some hip pain that put running on hold for a while. I had a mojo going then that I have yet to regain.

Seeing that I did the same loop a year ago about four and a half minutes faster than I did yesterday does not leave me with a good mind set. Ironically, as I was finishing my run yesterday (and feeling pretty wiped) I was thinking about how I'm working on being more accepting of myself when I'm not running the way I wish I were. It's not easy. I tell myself that I should feel good that I'm continuing to be consistent with running, that most people can't run as far as I can, and that the purpose of my running is to stay and shape, relieve stress, and be outside. Still, it's hard to not be competitive with myself.

It's been a rough year for me running wise... with the hip injury, then my back, then the pneumonia... and I guess I should cut myself some slack. As I get older, I'm realizing that I'll be a much happier person if I do so.

I didn't head into this blog entry with the notion that I'd be reflecting on the past year... though, for some, this is the end of the year. Given how I felt this time last year, I would have never predicted that I'd be heading into such a disappointing year, running wise. So, perhaps, given how I'm feeling about my running now, I'm heading into a great year of running.. and hopefully other wonderful things as well. One can only hope.

Tuesday, October 7, 2008

Me and My Shadow

Running and blogging.... two things I haven't been doing much of lately. Thankfully, I've been doing more running than blogging. My last two runs have been through Tinicum - the lower loop. Sunday, I drove to the Tinicum entrance, which seems really pathetic considering the price of gas, my desire to reduce my carbon footprint, and the fact the entrance to Tinicum is about a half mile from my house, but given how I've been feeling on my runs recently, I decided it was worthwhile. I felt pretty good during that run, so today, I decided to go green and get myself to Tinicum and back on my own.

This was about as perfect a fall day as you could get. I set out around quarter after five and watched my shadow keep pace. I kind of liked the company of my shadow, liked seeing my pony-tail bob to and fro... it felt like a familiar sight, but one I haven't seen in quite some time.

Tonight's run was the first time I felt like I might be able to get back into shape following my bout with pneumonia. Lately, I've felt as though the fitness I'd worked hard to achieve over the last several years was slipping through my fingers. Today I felt like it is still within my grasp... it ain't quite gone yet. Still, I have a long, long way to go and I'm not sure that I'll ever get back into the kind of shape I was in this time last year. And I'm okay with that. I just want to be healthy, want to be able to feel like I'm in shape and can go out for a run and enjoy it, like I did today.

I love the fall.