As the rain fell on dust covered road, the clock read 6:00 A.M.... A scheduled 20 miler was on the menu. Thoughts went back to a day when a morning like this was made for sleeping in... I was a man coming to grips with who I was and what I've become.
Silent whispers of "Forget about it" are ignored as I pull into runrandall's driveway... I can't put into words the excitement one feels before a 20 mile journey.... Sleeping is for the other guy, I'm on a mission.
"You ready?" I say to runrandall as we hit the start button on our watches.... Sightless rain hits our heads as we begin before the sun lightens a cloud covered morning..
"Supposed to have 40 m.p.h. winds by 8:00" runrandall says as we make our first turn on Andy Dr.
Doubt starts to creep in a pensive mind and the first thought of cutting the run short was blurted out loud. I responded with, "No run is worth 40 m.p.h. winds". My words did not hang in the air very long before I heard, "right".
Two runners are struggling with the reality that nature is bigger then the pursuit of a good long run... Runs are funny things, some are easy, others become difficult as the miles drift into a misty haze... This run fell between the two... I don't know how much the conditions played on our minds, but by mile 8 we were spent.
When you run a long distance everything hurts... I can deal with foot pain, leg pain, back pain, but when pain shoots through your stomach with every foot strike... You turn into a walker. Blame it on the pre-run bagel or the price of oil... All I wanted to do was go home.... One problem, we were 6 miles from refuge with only the sound of passing cars to soothe wobbly legs.
The harbor of the driveway I was looking for flickered through my head as the labored journey draws to a close... One more turn and we are back to wince we came.
The day started with expectations of a 20 mile pre- marathon training run... And ended with a child crying for his mommy...
One thing I have learned about long distance running... Some days you eat the bear.... Other days the bear eats you.... I hope I gave him indigestion..
See ya on the road, runron.
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4 comments:
The hell of long runs is that when you have to do a set mileage on a given day you don't have it in you, and on days when it doesn't matter you can run and run and run with no problem.
I ran a far distance that same hot Saturday morning, and though I was tired at the end, I didn't have too many problems. Because I didn't have to run that far.
Well, you showed up at 6AM for that projected 20-miler, how many people would even do that? Yeah, I know, it still sucks, bears and all. Hang in there, you'll make it to 20 next time...
Richard, You hit it on the nail.I can run forever when a 3 miler is all I have to run.
I think you've been at it a lot longer then I have, I'm learning to accept what you already know.
It's only June. I got a feeling this summer is going to be a bear. (speaking of bears)
I'm running a quicker pace then last year, but it makes for faster melt down. Oh the things I've learned...
See ya on the cranky road,
Test comment, Safari won't show my comment in bottom of post.
Do not adjust your set, this is only a test.
So you can write.
Keep it up.
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