I wish to report that I set a new personal record today for a 5K run. Unfortunately, it was a new slowest 5K ever. Maybe I have run one slower, but I think I was asleep at the time and can’t remember it clearly. But, even at times like this, I like to look at the bright side. After all, even when we are going through difficult times in life, there is always a lesson to be learned, or some positive element to it all, if we just look for the silver lining. Paul wrote, “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things” - Philippians 4:8. So, I decided that no matter how slowly I slogged through my run today, I would practice thinking of it in positive terms. Here is what I came up with:
One great thing about the course I selected was that the first half is all uphill. Why is that good? Because being an out and back, it means the second half is all downhill. This course also happens to be one of my favorite places to run in the summer. Karen and I regularly run anywhere from 3 to 6.5 miles on this series of roads and trails. The familiarity of knowing the area well, and having run it many, many times, added to the feeling of near motionlessness as I crawled over the terrain today. It was kind of hypnotic.
Another positive today, was that having done virtually no exercise whatsoever for the last three months, I was well rested at the beginning. For some reason that feeling evaporated kind of quickly though. Also, having gained a significant amount of weight over that same three-month period meant that I was well fed and didn’t really have to worry about bonking. Theoretically, I should be able to run non-stop around the world just burning the calories that my body has efficiently stored away as fat. No need to stop and refuel. Similarly, if I were to collapse from fatigue today, I should be able to make through the entire winter lying there on the trail waiting for rescue. A comforting thought when you are out there on the trail by yourself.
That brings us to another positive, there was no one else out there today. It was suggested that the ambient temperature of 10 degrees at 1 pm may have discouraged some of the less motivated runners, but I think everyone was just Christmas shopping. Actually the temperature was a big plus in my book. No problems with overheating, and the sweat that soaked through my layers on the way out (uphill remember) turned quickly to a sheet of ice that helped block the wind coming back downhill. It was awesome–I didn’t have to carry an extra outer layer, the sweat-ice kept me warm.
My equipment choice provided another place for rejoicing. I decided to break out a brand new pair of winter running shoes today. When I picked up my old pair, I noticed that the outsole was literally pealing off, and that the heel displayed a 20-degree list to the side. Loving my knees as I do, I decided to open up a new pair of North Face 103 Gore-Tex shoes. Having spent the summer in some ultra-light trail shoes the North Face XCR’s were a whole different feel. These shoes are each approximately the same size and weight as a Volkswagen Beetle. I figured that with each stride I was getting double the workout – awesome! However, there is nothing like Gore-Tex for keeping your feet toasty on a somewhat chilly day like today. Not to mention the fact that the sheer size of the footprint kept me floating over the snow.
Oh, did I forget to mention the snow? Yeah, the problem with running this particular course in the winter, is that the BLM closes the road about 100 yards from where I parked the car. After that, the road, which becomes a two-track, which becomes a trail, isn’t really seeing that much use – what with Christmas shopping taking everyone’s time and all. So as I continued, the trail went from hard packed road, to slightly packed two track, to soft snow that mimicked running through deep sand. That was OK with me though, because having not run in three months, I needed the extra workout.
So, all in all it was a great day. To top it off, I am almost assured that my next run will be faster than this one. I now have a benchmark that is so low, that I would have to walk backwards to go any slower. I am virtually positive that, if I get some consistency back in my running program, I will be back in shape by Spring. In the mean time, I am just happy to be out on a beautiful day, in a beautiful place, plodding along at my own pace.
