The Epic Run and the Long Run.

I gave fair warning.  This is mostly a journal of miles.  Actual miles.  Not the metaphorical kind.  Those will be there as well, and perhaps when the quest for 100 reaches its conclusion the focus will shift from actual miles to the metaphorical world as mileage on the pavement takes a back seat to the mileage of life.  But for now lets dive into Friday night's run (which was nearly epic) and Sunday's impending  completed Long Run.

I'm in the zone right now.  I feel good, motivation is high, and I'm killing it.  In fact, for January I have already surpassed my highest monthly mileage by about 30 miles. So Friday night, I hit an 8 mile run.  2 laps around the armory and then the climb and decent on Walnut.  When I started my journey toward a marathon The run on Walnut was my first real run.   And it was three miles.  And that three miles was momentous for me.    It was an achievement of some significance for a couple of reasons:

• It was my longest run ever.  
• It was 1 mile longer than I had intended (more on pushing the limits soon).
• It was my first step to becoming a "runner".  

Long Run Recovery and thoughts on the Quest for 100

Training for a distance run is a beast all on it's own.  I'm learning this all too quickly.  Its going to require a lot of time, a lot of pain, and a lot of finagling of my general life schedule (which really has a lot of free time all on it's own, but I just wanted to use the word "finagling"). 

The general preparation for the long run is something I love doing.  I shop around for a few snacks and drinks, usually a few days in advance.  The night before I make sure I have everything set out.  Shoes, socks, shorts, shirts, earbuds, buff....  You get the idea.  

I find myself a little giddy on these nights.  And I often find myself having trouble sleeping as I'm looking forward to whatever challenge I have set for myself the next day. 

The morning of is pretty standard.  I make a 1 cup of coffee.  I make some toast with butter and peanut butter (the combo of both is magical).  I make sure my hydration option is set up with fresh, cold water, and I suit up.

The miles take a scenic route.

The miles take me everywhere.  And i love them.

Most of these miles will be actual miles, on the pavement, earned through sweat, extreme effort, and unbelievable amounts of stubbornness.  

And some come in the form of Father and Son bonding.  

I talked about Player 1 in a recent post.  After he read that he said:  

"I read my post.  Shit talked me for the whole first paragraph."

Shaming leads to Hill Repeats leads to the Long Run leads to.....

I was shamed.

It went something like this:

     ME:  I'm really thinking of not running.  Its getting late and I'm kinda tired.

        Coach:  When you don't want to run, that's the most important time.

     ME:  Well, I guess I could go for a quick 4 or 5 miler.

        Coach:  So you can do an hour, yes?  What else are you going to do for that extra 15 minutes?

     ME: <Ran for an hour>

Yes, shaming is a perfectly good form of motivation.  I would love to say its good-natured, or perhaps done is "fun".  But really, its exactly what it is:  its shaming. Its meant to call a person out and basically say, "You are pathetic."  

Sophie(?) and the Impulse Buy

Skates and I, as we have discovered over the course of our relationship, we share a number of common interests.  One of those is we like a lot of the same movies.  And one of those, is Hot Fuzz. British humor has always been one of my favorite things.  Fairly dry and absolutely historical.  If you haven't seen this movie, its a good one.  Watch it.  It will be.... For the Greater good.  

Anyway, the Peace Lilly plays a sort of in-the-background role, but its fairly significant to the character development as opposed to the overall plot.  And at Christmas she bestowed upon me my own Peace Lilly.  Quite possibly one of my favorite gifts ever.  She is beautiful.  She is lush and she is green.  And I find myself tending to her needs and loving the fact she brings such vibrant color to my little home.  And I love her.  

The bad run....

Lets talk about the "Bad Run".

This particular entry into the blogosphere originally had a slightly different theme, that of Good vs Bad.  But after a little deliberation in my own head I've decided each version of the run deserves its own stand alone entry.

And thus we come to the topic of the day:  THE BAD RUN.

I don't know about others, and quite frankly I don't know that I even care when it comes to this topic, but I typically know I'm headed for a bad run within the first mile.  Sometimes, its even sooner than that.    Its just a feeling, which typically generates in my legs and ankles and then makes its way up into my brain where it registers as what it is.

My Player 1.....

It happens every year, at least twice.  Player 1 shows up.  He's a slob, he eats all my food, and he stinks up the joint.  He talks incessantly, about nothing, and despite living in somewhat tight quarters he feels he has to follow me around and make sure I am hearing every single word that comes out of his mouth (which irritates me to no end...).  

And then, in the times it takes to snap your fingers it seems, he is gone.  And suddenly there is something of a void which is left and I struggle to fill it.  One would think I would be used to it.  But no.  It gets me every time.  

Player 1, as he tells its, spawned in first.  If you are a video gamer, you get this.  If you are not a gamer, then it should suffice to say he is my first of two kids.   Names are typically left out of the public domain, so he shall be Player 1.  The other, will be the Kitten (as opposed to Player 2, because that would make far to much sense). 

Resolutions? Nah. Lets be goal oriented this year. And yes, that might be a resolution, in and of itself.

Just a fair warning: I'm not sure this post has a specific topic or any amount of centered theme.  What it is, in essence, is going to be some random thoughts and ideas and what-have-yous for the purpose of simply getting things moving.

Generally speaking, it seems new years is a time for resolutions.  I have never taken any stock in this.  It seems a rather silly thing to engage in.  "I'm going to eat better....   I'm going to exercise more.... I'm going to lose weight....  I'm going to <insert whatever the hell you want here>...."

I believe we all get the idea.  And let's face it, a guy shouldn't be making resolutions for the year to come when there are a number of things which seem to be sitting afoul from the year before. 

So..... In place of resolutions for the year to come, I will be taking stock of these unfinished things, and looking to make either habits of them, or complete them.