Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner

Last week (Aug 4-10) was a rest week (i.e. fewer miles), which worked out very well since I was in Chicago for a long weekend.  There was a lot of eating, drinking, catching up with friends--and oh yeah, getting pooped on by a seagull at the beach.  But not a lot of running!

However, when I met up with my friend Erin on Sunday, it was decided we'd go for a run together on Monday morning.  I was a little nervous, since I always run alone, and didn't want to slow Erin down.  (I don't run alone by choice, necessarily.  I just don't know many people here in NY, and virtually zero whose idea of a good time is grinding out a 10-miler on a Sunday afternoon.)

Erin is running the Chicago Marathon Oct 12, a week before my race.  This is her second marathon, and she's done many other races in between.  Erin is probably the most motivated person I know, and I credit her with getting me started running a dozen years ago.  At age twelve, I remember her pushing us to run suicides up and down my street.  You know, just for fun.  We ran track together in junior high, and when we got to high school, we attended the cross country meeting together.  I ended up joining; Erin opted for basketball.

I ran cross country for one year only, and years later I do regret not sticking it out.  At the time, I just wasn't ready, physically or mentally, for the sport.  Every time I made progress, I would get hurt.  (an easy feat for a lanky 16-year-old whose bones were growing faster than her muscles)  The most memorable incident was my near concussion at running camp after an unfortunate Ultimate Frisbee collision.  

But back to the Monday run.  It was a beautiful sunny day, and we ran along the Chicago lakefront.  Erin's sister joined us for a bit, and it was really nice to have company other than my iPod for once.

Then it was back to NY, where I was under the weather for a few days, and I only managed 5 miles during the week (a speed workout).  Saturday, I did an 11-miler along a completely different route.  Across the Brooklyn Bridge--beautiful view, but a terrible path due to too many gawking tourists--and into Manhattan.  Lafayette St and Park Ave were temporarily closed to traffic, and I ran all the way up to Central Park to do a few laps around the reservoir.  More beautiful views, though the path was flooded in most places.  All in all, the run was very pretty, but better in theory than in practice.

Total distance covered: 91 miles

Days until race: 63