Entry tags:
running musings
I don't know how and I don't know why, but I'm getting back my enthusiasm for long-distance running. Last night I sat in my car for 2 hours after the Flying Feet ice cream run was cancelled waiting for a particularly rainy thunderstorm to blow over. Even though my mom and I ran the Baltimore Women's Classic yesterday morning, I wanted to do more miles. Unfortunately for my running shoes and weekly mileage totals, the storm was still lightninging by the time I went to bed. I may be a hardy runner but I'm not stupid. I'm also not a hypocrite-I'm not going to lecture kids about staying inside during a storm and then go out and run 5 miles in it myself.
I think I'm going to register for the Annapolis 10 Miler when I get home. It's 40 bucks but it'll be 40 bucks well-spent if it motivates me to run again. I'm sick and tired of feeling lazy.* I want to feel tired after an early-morning long run with the NCR Trail Snails/Team in Training/my running buddies from Flying Feet. I want to taste salty Gatorade Endurance on my tongue on a hot August evening. I want to feel no guilt whatsoever about eating the chocolate mousse cake tops that my sister brings home from Snickerdoodles (the bakery where she works).
I want to be a runner again, not just someone who runs every once in awhile. That distinction is mine. I do not deny casual runners the opportunity to call themselves runners when they are running the way I am now, but I know I am capable of more and I want it back.
~Bethany
*Incidently, my feeling lazy is just that-my feeling lazy. It does not mean that I'm still reeling from my disaster deployment back in March. Yes, my priorities have changed. No, needing to be flexible for the Red Cross and wanting to help New Orleans does not mean that I'm willing to sacrifice my identity as a runner.
EDIT: Here are the Baltimore Women's Classic results from yesterday: http://www.charmcityrun.com/eventResults.cfm?eventid=477. Look for me down around 10:53 total pace. See how long it took me to cross the start line? Stupid portapotties. As a sidenote, look at the results from 2003, the first year I ran this race: http://www.baltimorewomensclassic.com/2003results.html. I ran a 25:27, 4th in my age group by 5 seconds. Had I run 2 seconds faster per mile I could have had a free Under Armour shirt. Without a whole lot of speedwork, I have no chance of placing that high in my age group these days, thanks to the faster/larger 20-29 bracket.
I think I'm going to register for the Annapolis 10 Miler when I get home. It's 40 bucks but it'll be 40 bucks well-spent if it motivates me to run again. I'm sick and tired of feeling lazy.* I want to feel tired after an early-morning long run with the NCR Trail Snails/Team in Training/my running buddies from Flying Feet. I want to taste salty Gatorade Endurance on my tongue on a hot August evening. I want to feel no guilt whatsoever about eating the chocolate mousse cake tops that my sister brings home from Snickerdoodles (the bakery where she works).
I want to be a runner again, not just someone who runs every once in awhile. That distinction is mine. I do not deny casual runners the opportunity to call themselves runners when they are running the way I am now, but I know I am capable of more and I want it back.
~Bethany
*Incidently, my feeling lazy is just that-my feeling lazy. It does not mean that I'm still reeling from my disaster deployment back in March. Yes, my priorities have changed. No, needing to be flexible for the Red Cross and wanting to help New Orleans does not mean that I'm willing to sacrifice my identity as a runner.
EDIT: Here are the Baltimore Women's Classic results from yesterday: http://www.charmcityrun.com/eventResults.cfm?eventid=477. Look for me down around 10:53 total pace. See how long it took me to cross the start line? Stupid portapotties. As a sidenote, look at the results from 2003, the first year I ran this race: http://www.baltimorewomensclassic.com/2003results.html. I ran a 25:27, 4th in my age group by 5 seconds. Had I run 2 seconds faster per mile I could have had a free Under Armour shirt. Without a whole lot of speedwork, I have no chance of placing that high in my age group these days, thanks to the faster/larger 20-29 bracket.