Wednesday morning was barely 60 degrees and sunny! I put on a tank top and some capris (my favorite running outfit!) and was ready to hit the road. Wednesdays are speed drills. I hate them. But I am so proud when they are over. Lately my plans for my Wednesday runs have wimpered out. I start out large and end up getting in my car sooner than I had originally planned. Not today!
I dropped off Thomas at preschool. Parked my car at the back of the church, put on my headphones and took off. Ahhh, cool air, slight breeze, my muscles felt good. In my head I plan out the run, one mile warm up, two miles of hill repeats and one mile cool down. Today I would run four miles! (Hill repeats are running up a hill as fast as you can and then jogging down and repeating.)
I ran down a big hill and entered the greenway. I turned left when right would have been another mile of flat! Right meant I would have to run up the switch back, a zig zag that winds uphill to the Post Office. I broke it up into four hills. I ran the first three, three times. It is amazing how the third time seems faster than the first.
I would huff and puff past people as I ran up. I wish I could have seen their faces as I passed them again as I ran down. "What is that woman doing?" Or were they thinking what I would have thought, "Ah, she couldn't make it to the top so she is running back down."
I looked at my watch, if I ran to the top of the switchback that would be three miles. I could then jog a loop around town that was pretty flat and make it a total of four miles. Yep, I was going to get my four in today, no clocking out early!
I made it up the the third hill for the second time. That hill probably had the most incline. I stood at the top in the turn to the last hill. I was really huffing and puffing. I looked down the hill, where I had been. I looked up the hill were I had yet to go. If I ran down again I would have to run up two big hills to finish. If I kept going I still had one big one to go.
I had my hands on my hips, I could feel my lungs and shoulders going up and down, in and out. I thought, "Thank you yoga for teaching me how to breathe into my belly." I remembered someone telling me in order to increase your speed you have to push hard enough to make yourself winded.
I looked straight ahead on the exercise equipment the city has at that turn. And, boom, there is this EB White quote, "I arise in the morning torn between a desire to improve the world and a desire to enjoy the world. This makes it hard to plan the day." I thought, I may not be able to improve the world but I can improve myself and that is a small part of improving the world. I ran back down hill number three one more time, then ran up 3three and four!
I made it past the post office and there was McEachran, I still had to run up it! In the back of my mind I remembered this hill but I didn't really count it into my repeats. I had to go up it to run one more mile or to simply get to my car. I put my head down and up I went. My foot felt like it was at a 45 degree angle to my shin. But I kept going.
I made it to the level part of town, well as level as it gets. Everyone thinks Union Street is flat, until they attempt to run it. The rest of my run was easy. My time was good and I felt great! I began to think about the EB White quote. I am blessed with my life. And while I may not be doing earth altering work, I am working to better myself. I run to take care of my body but it also takes care of my mind. It also reminded me of one of my favorite scriptures, "This is the day that the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it." Psalm 118:24. I already enjoy the world, and I will continue to try and improve it.
