Thor's Running Journal

  A decade ago, I showed up to photograph a wedding, and it looked like it might rain. Like any well-prepared photographer, I showed up early but unfortunately without a raincoat. So with some time to spare, I stuck my head in a thrift shop to see if I could find a low-cost, easy solution. Sure enough, I walked out with two options. The first a 1980s looking canvas trench by London Fog much like one I had years earlier and the other a bright neon orange windbreaker that packed down into a little pouch. I font remember the cost of these things at the time, but I know it wasn't much. The last few days, I've pulled out the windbreaker for my morning runs. The temp is dropping, but it seems to hold enough heat in without too much moisture building up. Not the warmest, but it does what it's name implies and cuts the sting out of the wind. And did I mention it is bright orange? While at night it might not make too much of a difference, every bit of extra visibility matters when c...

I'm starting to do a little bit of math when I wake up. For example. If I wake up at 5:33am and it takes me 14 minutes to get out the door and I need to get back so I can shower, make coffee, eat breakfast and take a kid to school by 7:23am how long do I have to run? It sounds complicated, but with rounding it's about 40 minutes give or take.  Now that the training is over, you would think the choice between going for a run and not going for a run would be easier and I'd lean in the direction of "not going for a run", but that isn't the case. The "not running" option means that void of time needs to be filled a different way. Reading seems too sedentary, checking emails and starting work isn't too productive because it is going to be interrupted soon.  Maybe watch/listen to a podcast? But I can sorta do that while I run. And I've been waking up and running for so long now that it's hard to remember what it's like to wake up and not ru...

It's Christmas light season. People go a little nuts with Halloween decorations these days, but nothing compares to the Christmas lights. Sure there might be a strain on the electrical grid, but from my vantage point it is well worth it. As one who is out through neighborhoods in the earliest hours of the morning, there is something comforting about seeing homes with strings of lights. It creates a sense of place and makes the neighborhoods feel more lived in. Of course the people are there year round, but the Christmas lights give direct and clear evidence of life and activity.

I ran for  56mins 43 seconds today. It ended up bwing 6.63 miles with an average pace of 8:33min/mile. I felt a little more sore today than I can tell the recovery is still very active. I want to go further and faster, but I'm completely relaxed about it. This "downtime" is part of the whole process. I want to enjoy this as much as I did the training for something. Running in the morning seems like a pretty productive way to spend an hour of my day. I could very well spend the hour someotherway, but the outdoor time feels good especially this time of year. 

This morning I got up and had my first run back since last week''s marathon. Perhaps a bit premature, but I was a wake and figured there couldn't really be that much harm in trying to see what happend. My legs felt ok and my spirit was eager. I didn't even bother to measure the miles. Just a timer to let me know how much time passed. Of course, I knew how far I went because I know my neighborhood. It felt very relaxing to trotting along. A bit of a niggle in my hip, that I may have been more mindful of because of my hyper alertness to the feelings happening in my body. I'll keep paying attention, but expect resolution with time.  Even after thinking about the race a little more over the past week I have no regrets. Things I would have changed ... things I will   change for next time to be sure, but I still am glad I went the distance and finished and fought the way I did.  I thought about the process of training too. It seems more ridiculous looking back at it than ...

Waking up at 2am with nowhere to go is tough. Getting back to sleep is harder than running 5 or more miles. My mind is doesn't just turn off when I mentally want to go back to sleep. Eventually it will happen, but it happens a lot faster after I wear out the rest of my body. Soon enough I'll get back outside and on my feet. I can feel my legs coming back. It is a wild sensation to go from having no strength and soreness the way I did to where I am now in just a matter of 4 days. There is something miraculous about healing and the regeneration of the muscles. I don't want to rush it, but I sorta miss running.