It is the season for timeless words in my head. They push me to memories and tempt me to linger. There is nothing more fearsome then standing still. Stillness seeps into the fibres of your soul pushing you to seek fault in your skin. Memories serve to inspire a smile, and to push you towards a new goal.
February is nearly over. That crisp glistening snow has melted into the sacred pile of mush that inches its way into your path as if to say.... I dare you to jump... Memories of muddy snowpants and days of rubber boots to come. And all of it, the smell of rotten worms in the air, the nearness of grass sleeping under slush, the swing of the empty bird feeder..... all of it reminds me that my shoes have yet to embrace those trails. Their rocks, their rubble, their wash out runner traps - all call to my shoes in their sleep. Like a rite of passage that every good shoe must endure. The puberty of sneakers. White laces no more.
Yesterdays sweat droplets stain upon last weeks on the treadmill dashboard. And my bike waits in the basement making friends with the spiders. Every day a new day, every day a minute more of sun. Every day another reason to smile. Every day a reason to run.....
Day 52
Current 51 day total - 281.27km
Monday, February 21, 2011
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
In the heat
The cold weather is calling my name. That's not true, it's calling me names. It taunts me with words like whimp and chicken. My third year running and first year of no outdoor winter running.
I am no stranger to the 8:00pm beginnings of a -30C 17km runs that land you with frostbite. I can still remember the tingling of blood returning to the proper vessels in my legs and arms three hours post crazy runs. They are thrilling, these runs... character building and soul fulfilling. They also remind you that you are not invincible. A hard pill to swallow.
This year, my last of college, with guides tricky to place and schedule harder to control.... all runs are inside. I figure it's a test of internal motivation. A push to see how long you can hold on to the memory of the wind in your hair, the car soaking you with muddy water for fun, the crazy morning coffee traffic that has no patience for runners.
Thankfully I'm stubborn. (ok that's an understatement)
The snow can only last so long. The guides have already been in touch. Spring, groundhog or not - will eventually come. The flowers will bloom, the sinuses will start to inflame and my not so new but still very white shoes will meet gravel for the first time. Wonder if I'm the only one who believes shoes are still virgin until the mud encrusts itself in every available space?
Temporarily displaced is a good way to look at my winter of indoor running. But hey, what runner hasn't had to adapt or alter a training plan due to injury, responsibility or thunderstorm?
365 days of running current total - 219.97 km
Happy day 40!!!
I am no stranger to the 8:00pm beginnings of a -30C 17km runs that land you with frostbite. I can still remember the tingling of blood returning to the proper vessels in my legs and arms three hours post crazy runs. They are thrilling, these runs... character building and soul fulfilling. They also remind you that you are not invincible. A hard pill to swallow.
This year, my last of college, with guides tricky to place and schedule harder to control.... all runs are inside. I figure it's a test of internal motivation. A push to see how long you can hold on to the memory of the wind in your hair, the car soaking you with muddy water for fun, the crazy morning coffee traffic that has no patience for runners.
Thankfully I'm stubborn. (ok that's an understatement)
The snow can only last so long. The guides have already been in touch. Spring, groundhog or not - will eventually come. The flowers will bloom, the sinuses will start to inflame and my not so new but still very white shoes will meet gravel for the first time. Wonder if I'm the only one who believes shoes are still virgin until the mud encrusts itself in every available space?
Temporarily displaced is a good way to look at my winter of indoor running. But hey, what runner hasn't had to adapt or alter a training plan due to injury, responsibility or thunderstorm?
365 days of running current total - 219.97 km
Happy day 40!!!
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Ground hogs and wishing wells....
To jump off the diving board.... such a scary thought. Especially without depth perception. How much fear do you face every day? Everyone lives with something they'd like to conquer, some one thing that scares the crud out from under your toenails .... that you nevertheless long to do.
January 2011 was a month of conquering fears. One day at a time, one foot in front of the other. It was the beginning of a culmination of stress, action and preparation. It was unsettling. And I embraced every moment of it.
They say it takes 3 or 4 weeks to make something a habit. 31 days of running, 175.02 kms covered between treadmill and elliptical, through smiles, through frustration, through tears and each and every step towards a better future.
Some miles with a textbook in my hand, others with no carpet under my elliptical so that every two miles I was facing a completely different wall. Some miles done with the house under construction, some miles were done in longing for the trail underfoot. Most importantly, every day, running was a part of my day, a part of my life; etching itself into the fibers of my soul.
My February goals? Of course continue to run every day. But in general it would be fantastic to enjoy a few miles outside with my forever man....if only day care fell from the heavens :)
Wishing you happy feet and warm toes!
January 2011 was a month of conquering fears. One day at a time, one foot in front of the other. It was the beginning of a culmination of stress, action and preparation. It was unsettling. And I embraced every moment of it.
They say it takes 3 or 4 weeks to make something a habit. 31 days of running, 175.02 kms covered between treadmill and elliptical, through smiles, through frustration, through tears and each and every step towards a better future.
Some miles with a textbook in my hand, others with no carpet under my elliptical so that every two miles I was facing a completely different wall. Some miles done with the house under construction, some miles were done in longing for the trail underfoot. Most importantly, every day, running was a part of my day, a part of my life; etching itself into the fibers of my soul.
My February goals? Of course continue to run every day. But in general it would be fantastic to enjoy a few miles outside with my forever man....if only day care fell from the heavens :)
Wishing you happy feet and warm toes!
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