Browsed by
Category: Uncategorized

Breaking 1k

Breaking 1k

Comments 1 comment

It’s probably a by-product of being a Millenial, but I find the desire to celebrate accomplishments, no matter how minor, and this is especially true for running.  Anything that screams “progress,” I have to cheer on.  That said, my total distance covered in any year becomes like a unicorn pursuit, and yesterday’s run took me over the 1,000 mile mark for total miles run in 2009.  Rock the fuck on.

I’ve got to add that not everyone believes that more mileage is better.  The FIRST method actually preaches the opposite– that less running reaps more results, when coupled with heart-pumping cross-training–and for some people’s biological or muscular conditions, their bodies simply can’t handle the miles.  I’m somewhere in between.  My IT bands begin to break around 50 mpw, so I’ve learned (through trial and error) that I most def need to respect that line.

The many steps we take in each run, seeing our long runs get longer, our paces faster, our enjoyment in one of the only sports that can truly link us to our ancestors… this sport gives us much to celebrate.  We mustn’t ever lose sight of this truth.

An a.m. romp in the rain

An a.m. romp in the rain

Comments 0 Comment

How to celebrate finishing my summer obligations of a PT internship and a grad-level statistics class (whose final I took last night)?  Do one of the things I’ve neglected all summer: run.

I entertained the idea of running home after last night’s stats final, but with a rash of burglaries and assaults in my otherwise safe ‘hood, I was a bit hesitant.  This morning seemed like the better option.

Enter: Chicago, late August, about 68 degrees, and it has been raining nearly all night long.  Add: lakefront path, big waves, and wind so hard that it feels like for every step I make forward, some one (a wind monster, evidently) is trying to push me backward.  Luckily, the wind seemed to let up once I passed Navy Pier.  Before I stepped outside, I entertained the notion of doing a fartlek or maybe some 800m strides.  The weather made me decide otherwise!  I was satisfied with my solid 8:30s for about 7 miles.

Besides the wind, the weather could not have been better for an a.m. trek.  Putting in 7 miles before I get to work makes Erin a happy, content girl.  And why not?  If you had a summer full of school and internship and work and statistics, you’d want to celebrate by running it all “away,” too.