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June 24, 2005
Done is good, but done well is so much fucking better
I ran five miles for the first time on Tuesday! My strategy of not going out too fast to start, and incorporating a little walking early on (roughly at mile intervals, although in practice it was just when it felt right) worked out pretty well, and I ran the five miles in just a hair under 60 minutes, 59:40, and I was well pleased with myself.
I'll be running five miles again tomorrow, in the Front Runners New York Lesbian and Gay Pride Run, so I decided that I should taper my mileage in order to run well on Saturday. I feel a bit silly, since my mileage is so low, but in fact, my experience over the last few days has me thinking that there's something to this theory of tapering!
I didn't run Wednesday morning, and Wednesday evening, as I was walking home from the train station, I had a sensation in my legs that I've only had a couple of times before, always when my conditioning was going well. I could feel my legs eager to run. It's a kind of thrilling feeling, really. Like I've started a process that my body intends to continue, but which isn't entirely volitional. Spooky.
Thursday morning I ran once around the park, 3.35 miles, and tried to take it easy, but I still came in at 37 minutes. The niftiest thing about the run on Thursday was that it seemed short! I was running clockwise, and as I cleared the Oriental Pavillion, I thought, "Wow, am I really almost done?" Yep. I wouldn't say I was disappointed at not getting to run more that morning, but I certainly could have run more, and that was enlightening.
This morning I ran two miles. Two miles! I dilly-dallied getting out the door; it seemed funny getting dressed out to only run two miles. I stretched before and after, and took the run seriously, and I had a wonderful time. I was tempted to try to run fast, to see just how fast I could go, but I was able to remember that the point was to NOT spend all my energy, but to BANK my energy, and stretch, and be loose. It was all good.
I'm a little peeved that the cool, dry, astonishingly lovely weather we've been having is going to disappear just in time for me to run in Central Park, but I'll try not to develop a complex about it. Francis is running, too! It's his first race, and I'm sure he'll get all bloggy about it.
This weekend we've also got the Mermaid Parade, and the New Pornographers concert in Prospect Park, and a friend's shindig on Sunday, and then the Ted Leo show at Irving Plaza on Sunday night. Yay! w00t! I promise, right here in pixels, that I will not attempt to run away with Ted Leo after the show on Sunday. I promise. Unless he begs. (^_^)
Posted by Rose at June 24, 2005 07:19 PM
Comments
Well done!!! Looking forward to that race report!!
Posted by: Nancy Toby at June 28, 2005 04:48 PM