I don’t think a single run passes without me marveling to myself that I can do this. Usually, toward the end of a run, I’ll turn to Bradley and remark that it’s so amazing that I can just do this, now. Like, I trust that I can just go out and run a few miles, even if I haven’t been training for a little while. I remember when I first started this project, my friend Hannah was so casual about training for a 5K. I asked her how long she would need to train and how far she could run in her present state of having just given birth… And her answer astounded me that she would just go do it. No training necessary. She had a relationship with and an understanding of how her body worked, what was difficult and what she was truly capable of. She knew what I’ve only recently learned: our bodies are capable of a lot- often more than we give them credit for.
So, yeah. I thought I could run five miles today and I doggedly chased that goal until I did. That’s why my trail is all windy and weird; it was a wander-run. Along the way, I tangled with an obnoxious eight-year-old who was determined to make me feel slow. Seriously, I would be coming around the bend at the track and he kept meeting me at various points on the track to snicker and then dash ahead while his dad stood on the outside of the track, ineffectually yelling every once in a while, with their relentlessly barking dog. The kid wasn’t a greyhound, I’m no rabbit, and I certainly didn’t need to be nice Mrs. L, the second grade teacher, so I busted off the track and back into my neighborhood where I proceeded to call my neighbors by the wrong names…
It was a weird run, to say the least, but I absolutely feel better and totally prepared for next week’s Beat the Blerch six mile run. I ordered a copy of Inmann’s book about running and I hope Bradley can get it signed when he picks up my packet on Thursday! 🙂
All this six miler stuff is making me want to amp up the distance again. Running at the pacing like I did today never makes me feel completely worn out anymore and I feel like I could go for a loooong time. Do they do 15k’s? Is that a thing? Because if I could get there, I’d definitely be inching toward something like a half marathon!
Oh. And, no. It’s not a Halloween thing, just a Saturday thing and I thought Gigi was so clever in her brother’s clothes on a random Saturday night! And the other is of me after the run. I am out of practice and keep forgetting to take my selfies while I’m running anymore. I’ll get there…