Well, this should've gotten done yesterday, but I just couldn't get going. Despite doing all the regular pre-long-run things I do, I had no energy and couldn't fight the wind, so quit after about a mile and a half.
Today was different.
What I found most interesting about this run was that despite wanting to do this one "for dad," I didn't think about him even once during the run. In fact, I didn't think about hardly any of my various problems - all the things a person might try to puzzle out during a run just failed to materialize as subject matter for the space of an hour and forty-three minutes. (Okay, health did, but only insofar as the condition of my legs and lungs are constantly making themselves known while I run.)
Instead I found myself quite concentrated on what I was doing. Not that I was doing it WELL, mind you, just that this was the right frame of mind to be in. Part of training is being able to concentrate on the run and not need to zone out to get it done. Zoning out can be a tool, but shouldn't be a habit.
I did sometimes think that I'd need to blog the run and not forget to note, for instance, that mile 1 sucked just as bad today as yesterday, and that mile 2 wasn't much better. Both had lots and lots of walking. But mile 3 turned out somewhat better and the pain had gone away. I was mostly spending walking time coughing crap up and the breaks were becoming shorter.
I was aware at the time that miles 4 through 7 felt like what training is supposed to feel like and that I could be happy with them. They were along the bay on flat ground and having other people exercising around me always helps my effort. Mile 8 was rough. Too much walking, too much traffic, and very tired. But after Runkeeper announced the end of the 8th mile, I continued on with the run segment until the next point where I'd be walking anyway and then ended the run, totaling 8.17 miles. Having no MTA card on me, I ended up walking the remaining mile home. Did some stretching in a park, made sure to ice bath (well...cold water at least) for a good long while, then a hot shower. Nap. Coffee and muffin. I will return to all my problems tomorrow.
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