Cowboy Hazel

My legs were twitching all day as I sat at my desk, and I couldn't help but stare longingly out the window onto the sunny park below. I had skipped yesterday's run completely because of the pain in my legs and the 2.4 mile jog I took with Helen this morning had done nothing to satisfy the craving to run. In fact, it made it even worse.

I've had a lot floating around my head the past couple days, much of it thoughts that I didn't want in there. The fact that I hadn't been running was compounding those demons, turning little ones into giants. I felt that I would burst if I didn't just get out and feel the wind on my skin.

So, after rushing home from the office as quickly as I could, I threw on shorts and a tee, laced up my running shoes, and headed towards the park. The first two miles were a little speedy as far as warm-ups go, but nothing extraordinary.

But then, I hit my stride and dropped a 6:26 mile. I was still accelerating, going around the bottom of the park, when this guy in a blue shirt passed me. I let him get about five yards, then stuck. He sped up even more and I followed suit, grabbing a 6:12 mile followed by a 6:08. When we reached the bottom of Cat Hill, he slowed and I sped up, zooming past.

But it wasn't about passing him at that point, it was about making it hurt enough that I could stop thinking, even if only for a few minutes. I ran a 6:02, even with the hill. After leaving the straightaway, I was still pushing hard but running out of steam and slowed to a 6:23 for my last full mile inside the park.

After a cool-down run back home, I plugged in my Garmin to see that I'd run 8.48 miles in 57 minutes, a 6:43/mile pace overall. Not a smart move, I know, but much needed. We can't always be smart.