Did 6 miles, and I really do feel better. I wonder if the fact that it had been 3 days since I'd run was part of my downishness? People talk about how they feel bad if they don't run. Perhaps I can try to be aware of my feelings (I generally hate those things) when I do and don't exercise. I've still not been aware of "runner's high," another commonly reported phenomenon.
(Diana Krall doing Isn't It a Lovely Day. I always enjoy her stuff.)
I do have to say that I really felt good throughout this run. I like running best when I don't try to run too fast (duh...). Still, even though I "stayed within myself" on this run, I didn't have any miles over 9 minutes. So I am getting faster, perhaps.
I had an interesting moment tonight, in fact. As I reached exactly 6 miles and my wrist beeped I looked down and I was at 51:36. I immediately thought of last summer when I was so pleased with myself for finishing 6 miles in under 60 minutes. It made me feel pretty self-satisfied to see that I'd progressed to the point where 51:36 actually feels comfortable. (Even though I'm really not hung up on times, I'm telling myself....)
I know it takes time to build muscle memory and simple base fitness. I think maybe I'll declare that my life running goals include a sub-4 marathon (if I haven't already done that). Once I've done that, I think (I think right now, anyway) that I'll be satisfied and will be able to subside to fun maintenance running for the rest of my life. I hope so, anyway.
Of course, I still want to do a triathlon. So we'll see how that affects everything.
It was good to feel my left ankle/foot on this run. I've been having some pains, and wondered how it would go in a run. Once I'd gone a quarter of a mile I didn't feel it (pain) again until I was walking back to the car. What kind of pain is it that hurts when walking but not when running? Maybe I'll find out tomorrow. I'm doing a "VGA" (video gait analysis) tomorrow with a local chiropractor. He has a treadmill and takes video of you running to isolate issues or problems with your gait. Ideally he'll be able to help me fine-tune the way I run and give me some more shoe advice. One can never get enough shoe advice! ;-) Just like one learns to simply ignore minor aches and pains.
This chiropractor is a guy who does this as a free service for groups like DRC or TNT. I guess he gets business out of it. I've heard really good things about him (meaning, I've been told he won't tell me something just to try to get me to hire him). And as I've seen and talked with him several times at races, my impression is that he's an honest, straight-ahead guy. We'll see.
Re: my frustration about the guy who was a jerk during my last run. I realized one thing while running tonight. He was just a Fred. Fred is a derogatory term used by cyclists to describe a cyclist: who owns a much nicer bike than he can do credit to (someone who has an $8,000 Orbea but does 6-hour centuries, for example); or who is the type who will sprint past a "real" cyclist who's just out for a recovery cruise and congratulates himself on how fast he is; or who is always 'half-wheeling" (when out for a casual or LSD ride, stays about a half wheel ahead of his riding partner and sort of pushes the pace inappropriately); or who otherwise fails to abide by the understood standards of behavior among cyclists.
I expect runners may have a similar name for rude runners. There's less opportunity for Fredness among runners, though, because there's less equipment. Perhaps there's no name, though, because I haven't heard it yet. I'm sure it was more than a year into my cycling before I heard "Fred" though. I don't think I'll ask around. I'll just go with Fred for that dude. It seems to cover it.
(Tony Bennett singing "Who Can I Turn To?" Love that song.)
Well, I had just meant to come back tonight to say I felt better, and I typed on and on. So that'll be it for now...
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4 comments:
Holy cow--you cyclists and runners are a judgmental group!
Other possible scenarios: The other runner didn't realize the old guy needed help until he had passed him, didn't know if he should turn around, glanced back and saw you help, then was embarrassed to have you catch up with him. Or, he was a dope, daydreaming and slowing down, and when you got behind him, he thought, "Oh, man, I'm going too slow. I'd better speed up or this guy will think I'm an ass." Or ...
As a sister of a Fred (simply his--now much aligned--name), I wonder how many newbies inadvertantly break rules and get dissed when they're just trying to fit it?
Are there jerks out there? Sure. But maybe they aren't all jerks. Maybe even ones who want to kick some poor slob's ass. ;-)
There you go again. Being all rational. ;-)
And another thing. Cyclists and runners are not "a judgmental group." They are very decidedly TWO judgmental groups. And almost as bad as the Capulets and Montagues. Very little love lost.
The ones who do both are generally "tri-geeks" and mistrusted by both sides. So they sort of stick together.
And that's not as much of a joke as one might think (though it mostly is -- I think). I was standing around the DRC office before a run a few Saturdays ago, and one of the leaders started talking about how much she hates cyclists. I told her I still consider myself a cyclist, and she was shocked. Said something like "Well I just hope you don't act the way they all do when you're on your bike."
And from what I've seen, entirely at Richland, college instructors can be pretty judgmental as well. Just because you're not.... ;-)
Uh ... perhaps lumping TWO whole groups of people into the judgmental group exposes my own abilty to beat some poor slob at his own game. ;-)
Guilty. Guilty.
Oh, and, as you may have guessed, my brother's name is maligned, not aligned. Although I'm sure it aligns with something, sometime, somewhere.
What's DRC?
DRC is Dallas Running Club. Actually they don't call it the office. They call it the "clubhouse." But I feel like I'm in a Little Rascals show when I say that....
And I'm glad you explained about the aligned/maligned thing. I was wondering why I was so dense as not to understand that. ;-) I had decided maybe you meant that it "aligned" with my description of the cyclists' fred. Kind of a stretch.
Just finished listening to Gil Scott-Heron performing "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised" and "Whitey on the Moon." I bet you haven't heard those for 35 years or more.
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