The Runner's Relationship

Sometimes it is a bit frustrating, maybe that isnt the right word, nevertheless, sometimes I wish my artistic abilities were more developed. Tonight I went for a short run and it was extraordinarily beautiful. It was pitch dark and foggy so the light cast from my headlamp gave that strange blurriness of vision you get from the particles of moisture in the air, then you also have the moisture of your breath mixing with the fog all of this obstructing the view of the passing snow and yellowed grass reaching out from beneath the snow. Reaching well above the 3 or 4 inches of snow is the sagbrush of the low valley toughing it out through the winter. Unlike most bushes and trees the leafy sagebrush manages to hold onto many of its leaves so far, so the moisture in the air, like the rain other times of the year, brings out the scent of sage. Every breath cleansing the body. The sound of snow underfoot and my breathing is all you can hear in the silence until I reached my turnaround point just above the thick low lying fog. Then stopping, it's complete silence, stars above and whisps of higher fog drifting by. It is magnificent.

I fully appreciate the many stunning photographs my running friends post from mountain tops and their journeys to get there, but what we dont get to share are photos of this kind of magnificent scene. Which is fine, because a photo cannot capture all the sensory feedback that makes such a magnificent moment. What photos and words cannot begin to describe either is what this gives back to the runner. The power. I'm sure there are other words to describe it but today I will call it power, its a physical sensation in the body and legs particularly but it is also a gift from land, air and environment in its entirety infusing the entire being with power.

An incredible gift. But, as I see it, this is not a gift without responsibility. In so many ways the land, air, water and the plants and animals which live in absolute harmony with it, give us power, of the body, of the mind, of the heart and the spirit. By receiving this gift we are bound by a sacred relationship to use our power as humans to protect these things which cannot protect themselves.

Getting in shape

The title is meant to be a subject, not a statement. Although I have "started running," I have not yet broken the threshold of consistency. I have run a couple of times per week the last couple of weeks. For about 35 minutes. Today, was much better and I went for about 75mins I figure. I did buy a battery for my watch, but for the life of me I can't find my mini-tiny screwdriver to open it up and replace it.

The trouble has been getting out of bed at a reasonable hour in the morning. Nearly every day I set the alarm for 6. So I wake up, shut if off, lay 'awake' and all of a sudden its 8am and I have to get ready for work. I even slid my phone across the room so when the alarm went off i'd have to get up to turn it off, still no good. Its not as though i'm undersleeping either, i'm getting at least 7 hours a night, by 6, which means 8-9hrs many days (one of the reasons I have not gotten sick this winter). The next plan is to set my coffee machine timer so it starts brewing at 6am, that smell has to get me out of bed right?  Anyway, i'm not sure what the problem is, back when I was serious about running i'd roll out of bed throw my clothes on and wake up during the first 15mins of my run. i don't seem to be able to do that these days.

Getting in shape is tough, and when I look back, I've rarely been able to do it incrementally. When I try to ease-into fitness, I almost inevitably take a few days off and am starting back from square one. So what ends up happening, and this is now the plan, I just ramp it up at a relatively unsafe rate. Take today for example; I have run no more than 35mins for the last few months, and today I ran somewheres around 75mins. Next week, i'll have my watch ready to go by then, i'll ramp it up to 2hrs. When I recover from that, i'll pretty much be in-shape. That is to say i'll be able to go for 60min runs pretty easily. So that's kind of the short term plan. The medium term plan is to get the weekend long run up to several hours over the next several weeks. The longer term plan is...a secret.

-13 toughen up

http://instagr.am/p/Ub1HDnpnaj/

Hard-easy

No not alternating hard and easy segments. Incidentally on my break my watch battery died so I just ran to what would take me, while in-shape and no snow, 30 mins. It was at an easy pace but was nevertheless a hard run. Why do I let myself get so out of shape.

Anyway, it has begun and I'll run every other day because the snow will wreak havoc on the plantar and more importantly the IT. The former never a problem; the latter chronic.

Bone Idle Lazy No More

The intermittent blogger is back. I have to say though, I am very consistent in my inconsistency. When I don't blog its because I'm not running, and I don't usually write about the last race of the season. I suppose that is also consistent with the previous statement because I typically don't blog till a day or two or three after a race, and if its the last race of the season, then i'm technically not running. See the logic?

So, I did end up running the Victoria marathon although I wasn't in great shape and ran around 2:35 basically tying for 4th although I took 5th. It was a pretty tough race on account of not doing nearly enough training so I couldn't complain. Previous to that race I had hoped to do the Steve King Classic 100k race but again I had not been training that much and got a cold after the Kamloops - Edmonton marathon pair. Since Victoria, I did 2 runs, then a despicable leg at the Whistler 50mi relay. Then, nothing.

Now. Truth be told, I am still not running however I pledge to start tomorrow. Its going to be tough. Last time I trained it was around 15 degrees. Now it hasn't been above zero in a month. And i'm fat, 170lbs, thats ~16lbs over my training weight, although i'm unsure of when I was last at my "training weight." Perhaps since i'm in my 30s now I should adjust that number. NEVERTHELESS, Sunday January 6th 2013 I WILL go for a run.

Lastly, I am very busy these days but i'll try to post regularly to try and be accountable, and try to change up the backgrounds and stuff. I'm thinking maybe simpler, but with a log of some sort. Proper lastly, I sent in my elite application for the Vancouver marathon so I am 100% going to that. Nothing else on the schedule though, hopefully some sick long runs in a month or so and some cross country skiing.