Monday, September 07, 2009
I Love Running
I run for days like today. Coming off a hard weekend of running, I set a very satisfying 10K PR today. The entire race I felt like I was running my best. It hurt, of course, like a race should, but I felt like I ran right at my limits for cardio, leg strength, leg turnover, pain management, etc. I ran a smart pace by checking my Garmin early and often, and I was able to adjust my effort level appropriately based on the hills and racers around me. Going in, I wasn't sure what to expect (based on my weekend efforts), but this was one of those days where everything went right. I even had a strong finishing kick over the last quarter mile. I felt happy and powerful.
Today was just one race, but it had everything I love about running in it. I alluded to some of the individual aspects above such as testing my limits and the mental focus required to run a smart race. But today also had plenty of the social aspects of running. I saw lots of friends before, during, and after the race, and that made the whole event a lot more enjoyable. I've never been involved with any hobby, skill, or trade that is so balanced and applicable at both the individual and social levels. I can run alone or with friends and get great health benefits and satisfaction.
The social running community here in Nashville is so open it's amazing. There are numerous races as well as several local running groups (e.g., Nashville Striders, East Nasty, Fleet Feet, Jim Spivy Running Club, Williamson Youth Track Club), and they all welcome new runners. It's a great change from my past experiences with other endeavors. I spent several very satisfying years practicing Wado Ryu karate, but I was always disappointed that the great organization I was involved with wasn't involved with any other Wado organizations. Unfortunately, that's common in martial arts. Many schools are "islands" and are exclusive of all other schools and styles. But, fortunately, running is not that way. Running is very inclusive. Races and group runs are generally open to members of any running group and unaffiliated runners.
Both socially and individually, I've had a great summer of running. I finished the Fleet Feet Summer Speed Sessions. It was well worth the $50 for 10 weeks of coaching, and it was a great group to train with. This summer I lowered my mile PR to 5:31 (on the track), my road 5K to 19:18 (at the Smyrna Parks 5K), and my road 10K to 40:46 (today at the Franklin Classic). I've also done the first three Striders marathon training runs (up to 18 miles), and I've done one 27 mile run solo. (When I was off work on July 3rd, I headed out for a long "runabout", and I called Amy 5 hours and 27 miles later to come pick me up.) So things are going well.
For the fall, I'm going to keep training with a mix of speedwork and long runs up to half marathon distance. I've got the Jaunt in the Joint half marathon coming up next week (September 16), and then the Music City Half on October 18. After that I'm signed up for the Flying Monkey Marathon on November 22 (again and again). The Flying Monkey has too much distance and too many hills for me to race it, but I'll run it and try to improve my time from last year.
Amy is also signed up for the Flying Monkey, and it will be her first marathon. She did two half marathons this spring, so now she wants to go for the brass ring. There's no tougher road marathon than the Monkey, so it should be an interesting day for both of us. She's training with the Fleet Feet Fall Marathon Training group, so I've basically given up all Saturday morning races for this fall. I may sneak in one or two Saturday races if we can find a sitter for Aaron, but for the most part Saturday mornings are hers now.
On a related note, if you love running too, I strongly recommend that you read Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen by Christopher Dougall. If reading this book doesn't make you want to go out and run, then you probably have no pulse.
Labels: Running
