A Really Big Circle
by Robert James Reese » Saturday, October 4th, 2008 » 2 Comments
Recently, I've been toying with the idea of leaving New York to go someplace with lower rents, an easier lifestyle, more tennis courts, etc. But then, a run like today's comes along and I wonder how I could ever survive outside NYC. I mean, after you live here and experience everything that the city has to offer, how could anyplace else ever be good enough? My twenty mile run around Manhattan today took me through different worlds. I ran through projects and ran past multi-million-dollar penthouses. I saw horse-drawn carriages next to taxis, sailboats next cruise ships, bicycles riding alongside commuter trains. I must have heard at least twenty different languages. And don't forget the big attractions: the Statue of Liberty, Empire State Building, Chrysler Building, Brooklyn Bridge... Where else could I possibly experience so much in a single run?
Nowhere.
Maybe I should stick around after all. But, that's not what this post is about. This is about my run this morning and the events leading up to it...
Too be honest with you, my attitude towards running has not been what it should be the past few days. The heavy mileage and constant aches and pains had somehow transformed my favorite activity into a chore, something that had to be fit into the schedule. I've been having trouble waking up early and so morning runs turn into evening runs and then they become hurried because I always have something else to get done. I've actually noticed that my pace has picked up because I've been anxious to just get the runs over with. Not at all the attitude that a runner should have.
Going into today's run was no different. I was dreading the thought of twenty miles so much that I couldn't fall asleep last night. And after I did, I kept waking up either too hot or too cold and having to pee like a million times from all the extra water I drank yesterday. Even the short stretches where I was asleep weren't that relaxing. I was either running or kicking viciously in my sleep. How do I know this? Because I woke up with rugburn on my knees this morning. In addition to that, I just felt like shit in general as I stumbled out of bed. My head hurt, my legs ached, my stomach was being weird. The last thing I felt like doing was going for the second longest run of my life. But, a schedule's a schedule (for the most part – I will admit I skipped yesterday's 4 mile run) and I knew I had to get out the door and get this thing over with. So, I put on an old Nine Inch Nails album, ate a sandwich, read through the new Runner's World that came in the mail yesterday, stretched a bit, and finally left the house. And, after a quick trip back upstairs to change into a long sleeve t-shirt (it was colder than I thought), I was ready to go.
This is where everything turned around.
I started running west on 116th St right at the corner of 1st Ave. Normally not a big fan of running city streets, but traffic was light this morning so it wasn't too bad. I manged to start at a very reasonable pace, relaxed, and steady. I went all the way west on 116th until I ran into Morningside Park and had to go up like 7 flights of stairs. Getting to the top and running through Columbia's campus was cool, though. From there, I just started running down the Hudson River path. Around 96th Street (mile 3, maybe), I worked into this very comfortable, fluid stride and suddenly everything was just clicking. At that point, I knew that I was going to finish the 20 miles – There was no question in my mind. And, knowing that made the rest of the run just fall into place. My stomach was still weird so I had to stop once at the Staten Island Ferry to go to the bathroom, but I was planning on stopping to pick up a Gatorade there anyway. That was my only stop, probably about 5 minutes long. After that, I turned the corner and started heading up the East River. When I went up the stairs on 81st Street (mile 18), I got a nasty cramp in my left calf that still hasn't gotten away. But, other than that and my stomach, the entire run was relatively pain free and I felt really strong finishing it. Because my run brought me back up the East River, I was able to finish here on my typical mid-week running route. It was such a bonus to know exactly what to expect out of the last couple miles. It was also nice to not have any travel time – I started and ended within a block of my house.
My pace was a little slower than it was two weeks ago on the long run (7:28 today) but I felt like I could have tacked on another six miles at the end of this if I needed to, so maybe this is is the pace I need to stick with. If I did, I'd finish the marathon in 3:15:40 – a very respectable time. It's not enough to qualify for Boston, but that's okay. I don't really want to run another marathon in the spring anyway. I want to focus on shorter races and speed. Look at me getting off on a tangent...
Back to what I was saying, today's run was definitely a good thing. I'm glad that I got it done without too much pain because it makes the marathon seem that much more achievable. (And, I'm also glad that it's done so now there are only three more 20+ mile runs left on my schedule...)
Nowhere.
Maybe I should stick around after all. But, that's not what this post is about. This is about my run this morning and the events leading up to it...
Too be honest with you, my attitude towards running has not been what it should be the past few days. The heavy mileage and constant aches and pains had somehow transformed my favorite activity into a chore, something that had to be fit into the schedule. I've been having trouble waking up early and so morning runs turn into evening runs and then they become hurried because I always have something else to get done. I've actually noticed that my pace has picked up because I've been anxious to just get the runs over with. Not at all the attitude that a runner should have.
Going into today's run was no different. I was dreading the thought of twenty miles so much that I couldn't fall asleep last night. And after I did, I kept waking up either too hot or too cold and having to pee like a million times from all the extra water I drank yesterday. Even the short stretches where I was asleep weren't that relaxing. I was either running or kicking viciously in my sleep. How do I know this? Because I woke up with rugburn on my knees this morning. In addition to that, I just felt like shit in general as I stumbled out of bed. My head hurt, my legs ached, my stomach was being weird. The last thing I felt like doing was going for the second longest run of my life. But, a schedule's a schedule (for the most part – I will admit I skipped yesterday's 4 mile run) and I knew I had to get out the door and get this thing over with. So, I put on an old Nine Inch Nails album, ate a sandwich, read through the new Runner's World that came in the mail yesterday, stretched a bit, and finally left the house. And, after a quick trip back upstairs to change into a long sleeve t-shirt (it was colder than I thought), I was ready to go.
This is where everything turned around.
I started running west on 116th St right at the corner of 1st Ave. Normally not a big fan of running city streets, but traffic was light this morning so it wasn't too bad. I manged to start at a very reasonable pace, relaxed, and steady. I went all the way west on 116th until I ran into Morningside Park and had to go up like 7 flights of stairs. Getting to the top and running through Columbia's campus was cool, though. From there, I just started running down the Hudson River path. Around 96th Street (mile 3, maybe), I worked into this very comfortable, fluid stride and suddenly everything was just clicking. At that point, I knew that I was going to finish the 20 miles – There was no question in my mind. And, knowing that made the rest of the run just fall into place. My stomach was still weird so I had to stop once at the Staten Island Ferry to go to the bathroom, but I was planning on stopping to pick up a Gatorade there anyway. That was my only stop, probably about 5 minutes long. After that, I turned the corner and started heading up the East River. When I went up the stairs on 81st Street (mile 18), I got a nasty cramp in my left calf that still hasn't gotten away. But, other than that and my stomach, the entire run was relatively pain free and I felt really strong finishing it. Because my run brought me back up the East River, I was able to finish here on my typical mid-week running route. It was such a bonus to know exactly what to expect out of the last couple miles. It was also nice to not have any travel time – I started and ended within a block of my house.
My pace was a little slower than it was two weeks ago on the long run (7:28 today) but I felt like I could have tacked on another six miles at the end of this if I needed to, so maybe this is is the pace I need to stick with. If I did, I'd finish the marathon in 3:15:40 – a very respectable time. It's not enough to qualify for Boston, but that's okay. I don't really want to run another marathon in the spring anyway. I want to focus on shorter races and speed. Look at me getting off on a tangent...
Back to what I was saying, today's run was definitely a good thing. I'm glad that I got it done without too much pain because it makes the marathon seem that much more achievable. (And, I'm also glad that it's done so now there are only three more 20+ mile runs left on my schedule...)
2 Comments
So, yesterday I had one of those moments, very different but it hit me really hard because I did a route I must have done over 500 times. I went into the Park to do one of the loops, at 5:50 am, it was cold and super dark, but there were a handful of runners there... it was eerie and felt really hardcore!!!! And it's NY, and it was quiet, and dark, and silent, and I felt like I was flying in the pavement, then one of the best NYC songs came up in my mp3 as if by magic: Marching Bands of Manhattan (DCFC), and as stupid as it sounds, I started crying I was so overwhelmed, those moments don't happen anywhere else in the world.
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