Thinking of the time I intend to invest in running, single mile runs up to Ultra's, I made a few notes on the distances I've been gaining and liked to see my lengthening times and mileages. After realizing I've been through some growing pains in the first two months of trying to seriously increase my endurance, I didn't want to wait any longer to begin my story.
Like the book I'm currently reading Running with the Mind of Meditation, when I ran just over an hour and a tad shy of 8 miles last week, as I drive on -I feel there's not much happening in life anymore. Not much stress, no pressure except where I push to increase my distance, the discomfort in my back subsides as I maintain good form; there's nothing but my concentration and constant self evaluation of how I'm feeling and the distance I feel like I could cover.
I took off over lunch yesterday and put in a quick 3 miler. After changing into my running gear I felt like sneaking in and out of the back shop so not to be spotted in my sleeveless top, skimpy shorts and bright yellow and orange Newton Distance shoes. One of the mechanics here just continually gets my goat and I am not interested in giving him another reason to smart off about what he perceives as my faults. Getting out in the middle of the day was exciting and I went out way too fast putting down almost a 6 minute mile (faster than I've run in 17 years) and had to taper off to 7 and half minutes for the last two. It reminds me of a book I read about a runner trying to work up the stamina to finish the Spartathalon in Greece. Three times a day he would put in 6 miles around his life and work schedule. Both of the parts outside his running suffered, but like my wife, his was supportive of what he felt was driving him and gave him the time he needed.
Tomorrow I am excited to be up before 5 am and put in a 5 mile run. I am not excited about my job and the time I spend there but I try not to complain because the salary is good the atmosphere tolerable. Morning runs energize me as I glide through the darkness and listen to my steps and watch the luminescence of the day override the night. I romantically imagine an early morning commuter leaving the apartment complex and seeing me off in the distance, just a light bouncing around the lake, quiet and alone.
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