A brief summary of the weekend’s activities before I discuss the massive revelation I had today on my run. On Saturday it snowed. Quite a bit. So I stayed in and took one of those real "rest" days. I lounged around watching episodes of The Office, playing with my dog, and making the best brownies on the planet. I enjoyed the day thoroughly and though I frequently found myself staring outside at the snow falling and burying my car, I felt okay about not heading out for my usual Saturday run.
Sunday, I decided to make up for my cathartic laziness the day before and went to the gym. I decided to run on the treadmill, which is something I rarely do, and found it to be a rather enjoyable experience. I left the TV, hovering ominously above the treadmill, off and instead practiced my “race face” in the blank reflection. This was probably very amusing for the other treadmill goers around me. I easily knocked out 3.5 miles changing up both the speed and incline when I felt I was getting tired/bored with the monotonous of the "trun" (trun = treadmill run). I did notice that after those very intense 30 minutes, my knees did not hurt in the way they usually do after my outdoors runs. I then grabbed some agua and quickly made my way over to the elliptical machine. There I churned out 1.5 miles in under 12 minutes. I was booking it, I know. So 5 miles of cardio and then I lifted weights for a while. The weight room is a funny place. I was lifting weights and a father and daughter duo were nearby doing sets on the bench press. I had a little routine going of lifting 8-12 lbs in 3-4 rep sets, 8-12 times, then doing 20 crunches on one of those crunch benches with a 10 lb weight on my chest, and and then doing squats on a half Bose ball. On my last set, the father/daughter come over and take over the crunch bench just as I am about to go use it. Without even asking! Weight lifters can be so rude. Well, everyone was rude at the gym that day; I guess my stellar level of fitness was offensive. Ha! I then adjourned to the basketball court where I shot hoops for a while. I practiced my corners and free throw shot, which I can still nail with such ease it makes me want to cry. I used to spend hours upon hours in front of that hoop working on nailling that shot. So much time and effort. I miss the court, but the pounding on my knees was too much. That long drawn out experience leads me right into today…
As a runner, you learn to see the world in a different way than both other athletes and than other average non-exercising people. Today, I learned a very important piece of knowledge about runners (male and female) with blue or green (or any other light color) eyes and running in the snow. It is REALLY difficult. I mean it is extremely challenging when one has light colored irises to run on terrain that is covered in white. It literally is blinding. The only reason I know this is that I didn’t take my sun glasses with me on my run today. Ask any of my friends and they will tell you that I wear my sun glasses ALL OF THE TIME, literally. Why I decided not to bring them along today, is beyond me. But I didn’t, and I found myself almost blinded at so many points during my run by the brilliantly white snow. I even almost hit a tree (which, just for clarification, was also covered in snow, thus making it slightly invisible to me). But my run was great, the snow allowed me to work on some fancy footwork and exercise my ankle muscles. I also listened to this song on repeat, which I am now in love with, “Electric feel” by MGMT. Amazing. I really found myself pushing harder than I usually do which is a good sign for me. I was able to do 2.5 miles in 27 minutes.
I love running. I really do, I know that other people (and for other sports), running is a form of punishment, but not for me. It is such an avenue and outlet for joy and carefree happiness. I always feel strong and powerful on my runs, regardless of how silly I may look in my running clothes. I love feeling my quads coil and uncoil like snakes and my feet hit the ground in a perfect synchronic pattern. I love the electric feeling that shoots through my scalp and finger tips as I push myself along the road or path. It’s such a high. I wish more people could see what I see in running.
Damn good morning. Damn good.
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