Running
Home Training Races Marathon Runs
I brought home new shoes today, in exchange for a pair that didn't work out. In spite of Lesli's success with her Saucony's (Grid something or other that neither of us can remember), the pair I picked up just didn't work for me (Grid Shadow), leaving me with extremely sore inner calf muscles. Rather than further experimentation, I went back to my tried and true New Balance 764s. Or rather, the slightly modified 765s. I've run in them once so far and they seem fine, although my calves are still very sore from the aftermath of the pair that went back.
I've been running for something more than two years now. Seriously, but not. Oh, when I run, I'm serious enough about it. And I enjoy it. And I miss it when I don't get out for a few days. But I don't need to run every single day and I have a hard time sticking to training programs I lay out, although I'm slowly getting better at that. There's something about running, beyond the multitude of health benefits, beyond the cool shoes, beyond the feel of the pavement under my feet, that keeps me going out again and again, heedless of the elements. I think it's a clarity of thought that comes with the rhythmic sound of my shoes striking the ground and my heart beating in my chest. Everything makes a lot more sense while I run and things are easier to figure out. I swear that my IQ shoots up 20 points when I run. Of course, as soon as I stop I go back to normal plus (or rather minus) potential exhaustion.
For reasons I've never been able to fully describe, or even completely understand, I decided before Erik was born that I'd like to someday run a Marathon. While it took me until after Melanie's birth to quit smoking (seven months after to quit completely), the goal was always there, somewhere in the back of my mind. I actually started running when I was still a part time smoker.
I went for my first run on 25 Jun 2001. Straight up our street to the top of the park and back. Total distance: 1 km. At the end of our driveway when it was over I was hunched over trying to catch my breath while not throwing up.
Not wanting to have a heart attack, I took the next day off, but the day after I went out again. The day after that, I no longer wanted to throw up when done. I slowly got faster and went for longer distances. My first "long" run happened on Christmas Day, four days after I had what I'd eventually realize was my last cigarette. I went 8 km. Not exactly at a fast pace, but still a fairly impressive improvement for six months.
It's more than two years after that first run, and my "daily" run (four or five times per week) is usually between 7.5 and 8 km. There's a Sunday long run, length depending on where I am in the current training schedule, that can be anywhere from 15 to 32 km. I'm now a runner. Not a very fast one - I'm slowly clawing my way toward the middle of the pack - but I manage. In current runner slang, I'm a Penguin. Which is fine.
Welcome to my Running pages.
Oh, and I ran that Marathon on 12 May 2002. It was my first. My second was on 11 May 2003, two weeks after my first half marathon. My third is in Toronto in less than two weeks and I'm toying with the idea of a January (or February) 2004 race somewhere warm, should my schedule at the time allow.
Home Training Races Marathon Runs
Page last updated: 01 Aug 2003.