Getting back to Boston

After the weirdest week of work I've ever had, no way I was going to be able to run Saturday or Sunday. In fact, I slept until 1 p.m. on Sunday and Monday. Got out tonight and decided to try out the dreadmill at Harbortown.

Fitness room over there is nice enough, but I quickly noticed there is no fan. Not good. And I didn't even wear a headband. Took a hand towel, which was woefully inadequate. Sweat's flying everywhere. Amazingly, it didn't blind me. Anyway, through the flying sweat, I warmed up for 1.5, ran 1.25 at MP, then .25 at somewhere between HMP and 10K pace, then cooled down for 1.5. Nice to have a dreadmill available if it's a thunderstorm, or it's minus-5, but don't think I'll be using it much otherwise.

Change of plans day today. I'd planned to do 10-12 this afternoon, but then found out I had a "mandatory" meeting at work (which half the team missed) at 1. So I went to the meeting. Then I decided to do 4 or 5 this afternoon, and the 10-12 tomorrow. I left the house a little before 4 to go to Ben Geren, planning to run one loop around the park perimeter, which is 4.4ish by car odometer. Ran it, felt pretty strong, and there was still daylight left, so I decided to run it again. Finished that loop, even faster than the first, and it was too late to run a third loop before dark, but I could run the gravel trail that I usually run. Ran that hard as well, then decided to jog a cooldown lap around the gravel trail.

Didn't have the Garmin (forgot to charge it), but I estimate that run as right at 12 miles, which I ran in 1:49:16. Splits were 40:30 for the first 4.4, 38:52 for the second 4.4, 13:33 for the hard lap on the trail, 16:21 for the jog lap.

The old joke goes that someone asked someone else why he was hitting himself in the face with a ball peen hammer. Answer: "Because it feels so good when I stop."

I think that's why I run. Not quite as destructive as the ball peen to the frontal lobe, but yeah, running hurts -- sometimes more than others. I believe the "runner's high" exists, but I've only experienced it one time, on that night run along the RT in NLR when everything just clicked between Cook's Landing and the quarry. So if I were running to experience the runner's high, I'd be sadly disappointed.

What I get out of it, other than the satisfaction of working toward a goal and taking each step along the way, is the feeling I get afterward. I don't know if you'd call it a glow, or a rush, but I feel different after a good run. GOOD run being the key. I don't get a glow after a slog, and that was probably my problem this summer. All I was doing was slogs, and I don't get good feedback from slogs. The last two days have been prime examples. After that 12-miler last night, I felt great. My legs hurt, but so what? I felt the glow, the rush.

Today, went over to Creekmore Park to try out the trail over there. Nice trail, but too much traffic for my taste; dodging too many walkers. It's just a smidge over 0.6 miles. Did nine laps today for 5.53, counting the jog back to the car after the final lap. Nothing dramatic as far as pace or anything, just a steady 9:30, about what I do on easy runs. Took two or three laps to get the kinks out from yesterday, but felt fine afterward. Thought about doing that 10th lap to get over 6, but nah. Then on the drive home, and sitting here at the computer, I feel the glow.

I don't think my results-oriented inclination would be enough to keep me going if the only thing I was doing was training to break 3:30, or when I was training to get me to Boston. Don't get me wrong, that was powerful motivation. But probably not enough to get me to run 2500 miles in 2009. I needed some more immediate incentive, affirmation, feedback, reward, whatever you want to call it. The glow is that reward.

Tomorrow marks five months to Boston. Eleven days after that, I start the training plan. Before you know it, I'll be doing 17-18-22 on weekends instead of 12. Hopefully I get the rush then, too.

Went to visit T today and go to the basketball game tonight. After I met him at the apartment, went for a run while he played Rock Band Green Day. From the apartment, up Razorback Ravine to Maple, down Maple to the trail (which they've finally completed from Maple to Dickson), down the trail to Sixth, and back to the apartment. Once I finally crossed Sixth at the EZ Mart, I put the hammer down, at least to 10K pace for the last 0.88. Definite negative split for the whole run, which is not surprising considering the second mile is virtually straight uphill and most of the fourth mile is downhill. Good run, though. More evidence that there's

 Before I got to the apartment, I went to FF and tried on some flats, just to see what was out there. Hoped they'd have some Kinvaras, but the woman said their buyer didn't like Kinvaras and didn't order any. Tried on Lunarracers, Lunareclipse, Lunarglides, a New Balance flat and Green Silence. Of those, I liked the Green Silence best. Still want to try on some Kinvaras, though. She suggested I might be able to try them at Best Sports at the mall. Might go there in the morning.

New route today, after taking Friday off to let the sore Achilles rest. Started from the Revenue office, down Phoenix to Massard, then down Massard a couple of miles past Zero until I got to the 4.5 mile mark, where I turned around (that was where a bike path looped under the road). Then I pushed the pace coming home, darn neat MP for the last mile. Wound up with a 9:07 average for the nine miles, although the Garmin credited me with 0.02 extra on the return trip. Achilles was a little tender, but not horrible. With 4 miles tomorrow, I'll still get 40 for the training week even missing a day. I'll just plan to run after work tomorrow night.