Why I Run

So I figure it’s times again for my not-so-regular topic: Why I Run or What I Think AWhen I Run.

Yesterday was four miles in the evening hours after a long day of work. I was looking forward to it, despite the dropping temperature and the darkening sky. I hit the park around 6:15 and there was nobody else out there. I wasn’t surprised. Most people tend to know better.

The first mile was fast, but I was feeling fast too. I like hitting the park at night. The shadows block out everything but the path. There is no outside world. Just me. And the path.

I kicked off the run with some AFI. Love this band. They rock and have top notch bass lines to boot. Their last album is also the last CD or bit of music I’ve purchased. Not that that’s relevant, it was just what I thought about for the first mile.

I clocked in at right around 7:30 and then slowed my pace. The wind picked up. My thoughts drifted to my feet. Not literally. I was focusing on my feet landing properly and how my knees were holding up. By the time I looked up, mile 2 was done with an 8:30 time.

The third mile zipped on by at a similar clip and I started thinking about finishing my first marathon. I really want a sub 4. I wanted to feel good at the end. I wanted to look good at the end two. I’m thinking the first two are attainable.

Mile 3 was 8:30 again. I picked up the pace for the final mile as thoughts of Mike Hampton leaving the Braves drifted in. So long. The guy injured himself twice without getting through a single inning of work. Actually he also was pulled from a start because he injured himself in warmup. Warmup. How does that happen?

I was warm now despite the low temps. I tore up the last hill and finished at 8:20. Final time was 32:52. The above mile splits are approximate within 3-4 seconds, but my total time I remember well. It was a top notch run.

I always shake my head when running books talk about how important the long run is for training. It’s true that they do so much. But it’s the middle of the week runs, the ones you don’t feel like doing, the ones that are too cold or too hot or too busy for that define us as runners. The day-in, day-out runs. The ones that make us faster, make us feel alive that define us.

Long runs create marathoners. The other runs create runners. I love long runs the most, but I know that these middle of the week runs are the miles that make the long runs so much fun.