And I Ran

So... It's weird not having a TV this week... Nice in a lot of ways... We don't watch a ton of TV per se, but we do have it on most nights to help decompress from our long days. So with nothing to steal my focus and numb my mind for a couple of days (other than beer), I'm going to try to write about some of the things I've been saving up... things I've been meaning to write about...

The warmer weather over the last couple days has allowed us to run twice since Sunday... the first run, 5.5 miles, was fun and felt good in spite of the fact that we've run exactly three times since November... and none since early January. Needless to say, Monday was painful... hamstrings and calf muscles were displeased...

But we got out again last night (in shorts!) and took on another 5 miles, this time under a beautiful rising moon. It was tough... it reminded me of how my legs felt at the end of my longer training runs... the 18 and 20 mile slogs of last September... only this was at mile 4... But even factoring in the massive discomfort, it was just so nice to be outside running again...

I've missed it so much this winter... that's not to say that our break from running and embrace of swimming hasn't been a good thing... I love our triathlon aspirations and I know my body needed a break from running after almost three years of continuous distance training... It's still amazing to me to consider that before July of 2006, I had never run more than 3.5 miles.

And not even three years later I've completed two half and two full marathons. And I can't remember the last time we had a run of fewer than 5 miles. And over the course of training for my two marathons, I ran no fewer that twenty-four runs of 13 miles or more. The marathons themselves have been almost anti-climactic... mostly owing to the fact that the weather has sucked for both. It's really been the training that I've enjoyed the most...

So many runs stick out in my mind... epic runs in the rain... runs where I held a pace I thought impossible for 10 miles in the summer dusk, hurtling past surprised animals at the Lincoln Park Zoo, gritting my teeth as I reached for the homestretch, gutting out 7:30 minute miles, one after another... 

Probably my favorite were the long Sunday morning runs... I get up at 5:30 and out the door by 6:00 pushing through the deserted city streets in the dark or growing light... I come across the refuse of Saturday night partying, both inanimate and alive (barely)... people weaving on the sidewalks in bare feet, walks of shame... My body struggles to find its stride, my legs feel dead... what the fuck? Only three miles in... I tell myself that it's my body making me conserve energy, knowing I have a long way to go... As the day continues to break, I find myself at Belmont and Pulaski, or some such nondescript northside intersection... more cars on the street now... I'm getting close to my first water break and my first gel pack, a nice dose of carbs and a bit of caffeine... Even more cars and people... I'm through the water and gel pack, and now up on Lawrence where bakeries are starting to open their doors... it's after 7 now and I'm feeling better... my body's warm, my legs are starting to turn over... another water stop on Lawrence and all of a sudden I'm on Lincoln, the final stretch of the solo portion of the run... 9 miles down, 11 to go... I'm greeted by Andrea in front of our place... she's got another gel pack and some water for me, which I need badly, the effects of the first having worn off... We set off south and I am so grateful for the company... I no longer have to satisfy my verbal impulses by talking to myself and shouting at squirrels... I get a burst from running alongside someone with fresh legs... her energy makes it seem like a whole new run... we chat about what I missed at home in the hour and a half or so I was gone... usually nothing. As we wind our way through Lakeview and then Lincoln Park, the city has come fully alive... and we hit the park just north of the Zoo feeling good... we have another gel pack and some water and continue south... I'm at the half marathon point now, feeling pretty good... everything is automatic and the miles are starting to fly by... we continue south beyond the zoo, and then cut east to the lakefront... Now we're on the last two legs... 3 miles north on the lake shore path and 2 miles west to our home... Speaking of the last two legs, mine are burning... everything is still automatic, but I'm really starting to feel every muscle in my legs as I near the three hour mark of running... the path is crowded with runners and bikes... a lot of runners wear the look of having been out running as long as me, a lot of marathon training going on for sure... Our last water and gel pack is consumed just before we turn off the lake onto Irving Park... and now we're on a mission, so close to the end... the steeple of St. Ben's pokes into view and we know that we're so close... our pace picks up as we start to empty the tank of all remaining energy... muscles and feet are screaming now but we're finishing strong... we cut north for two blocks and then finish with a half mile on Berteau... and now we're walking with hands on hips, our bodies still in shock... Up the four flights of stairs on numb and trembling legs and greeted by the usual excited dog... I'm in the shower immediately, and then on to stretching as best I can... Andrea is making whole wheat banana pancakes, our staple post run food... we're downing Gatorade as fast as our stomachs can handle it and have just taken 1000 milligrams of ibuprofen... the smell of coffee runs through the house... And we're sitting on the couch, eating pancakes, drinking coffee, watching Meet the Press, and reading the Sunday paper... our bodies are telling us they've had enough and need to shut down... Slowly, the eyes close and the house is silent... the sunlight of the late morning shines in on three quiet souls, breathing in near unison... legs twitch, the coffee maker turns off automatically...

And everything is good.

J