Running is quite a competitive sport.  For the most part, I have been competing with myself.  However, tonight I realized that the competition actually extends beyond myself to other runners.  So, here is the story of how that came to be…

It was a rather awesome evening for a run along our most favorite Jax bridges.  The weather outside was just slightly perfect… not too hot and not too cold.  What more can you ask for in Florida?  It was also great to see my two favorite running buddies pumped and ready to go!  We couldn’t wait any longer for our running coach to stop talking so we started stalking away and she finally gave us the “go ahead” signal.  And we were off!  And we were flying… seriously.  I was pumping my legs fast, but feeling pretty good considering my body was still in pain from the BodyPump class I decided to try out yesterday.

Then, somewhere around mile 1.5, my buddy says something like “Wow, we are moving at a fast pace.  I am trying to keep up with you.”  I immediately replied “What?  I am trying to keep up with you!”  Basically, it was the battle of who was trying to keep up with who.  Seriously, I wanted to make sure I didn’t get left behind so I threw up some dirt to keep my spot in the ranks.  Mellow yellow behind us didn’t say a word.  She just goes with the flow at whatever pace we decide to set.  I don’t think she even breaks a sweat.  She seems to enjoy every step she takes.  I wasn’t quite feeling that pleasure tonight (wait, I don’t think I actually have felt that).

So, we were neck and neck or toe to toe… however you want to describe it.  Then we get to the second bridge and speed racer decides to give it an extra boost.  Well, I don’t allow any space to come between us.  I am at her heels (even though I am breathing like a mad woman and most definitely flailing my arms and legs).  At the top I manage to say “Are you trying to kill me?”  She just responds by telling me that I was the one who set the pace in the beginning so she had to maintain it.  Whatever.

There you have it folks.  Running is a competitive sport.  Yet, that competition is what keeps us on our toes (or wherever we are supposed to plant our feet… don’t ask me because I don’t know anything about proper running form).  I only moved fast tonight because I was motivated by my running buddies.  Thanks ladies!  I can’t wait to race again on Saturday!  (ok, we may need to slow down a bit because I don’t think I can maintain that pace for 14 miles).

By the way, it is not too late to donate to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society!  Check out my website!  http://pages.teamintraining.org/ncfl/wdw11/haponte

Isn’t that the title of a horror flick?  My experience this morning was a bit scary so I think that title fits well.  I might as well dedicate this blog to another list of the not-so-joyous aspects of running.  It all started at 4:45 am when my alarm went off.  I already mentioned how annoying that sound is and how difficult it is for me to pull myself out of bed.  But, I am getting used to it now and didn’t struggle too much to dress myself and cook up a bowl of instant oatmeal.  Sure, the drive was long… real long.  And, of course, it was pitch black outside.  Lets also mention the fact that this city doesn’t seem to like spending money on street lights… who needs those, right?

Well, maybe someone who is looking for a liquor store at 6:00 in the morning.  Seriously, I was looking for the liquor store parking lot… that’s where the team was meeting.  My arrival wasn’t as smooth as I had hoped because I actually drove past the liquor store unaware.  I drove for a bit and then realized I should stop and call the running coach.  Smart move.  She told me exactly where to go.  I did follow her directions and got back on the street.  Then the scary movie started playing.  A car was driving straight towards me!  What the?  I veered off into the grass median while the car swerved in the other direction.  Fortunately, it was early so there were no other cars and we were both driving at a slow speed.  I cursed at the other car under my breath until I realized that to the right of me was another road.  What the??  Yeah, I was the idiot.  I totally could not see where to turn because it was so dark!  Needless to say, I was lucky to make it to the liquor store parking lot… and it’s a good thing the other car didn’t follow me because he definitely would’ve thought I was a drunken idiot.

So, that’s another negative check mark to add to the fun sport of running.  Driving so early in the morning can be hazardous, especially when you are a zombie.  But that’s not all!  I have more to add to the list.  How would you feel if your running coach told you that you run like Phoebe on “Friends?”  Yes, it’s all about the flailing arms and legs.  If you want some good comedy, come watch me run!  Or how about the socks I had to discard because of all the blood that had oozed from my poor little toe!  And let me tell you that it burned when I took a shower!  Oh, but that wasn’t the only body part that burned… does anyone know what chaffing feels like?  Not so pleasant.

Running is fun.  Running is fun.  That is my new chant to keep me going back for more.  At least it makes for some interesting stories.  🙂

If you continue reading this blog then don’t say I didn’t warn you with the title.  If you are a runner, you know exactly what I am talking about. Sometimes we have to go at the most inopportune times and mid-run is one of these times.

Before I get to that, let me tell you that I had a difficult time dragging myself out of bed this morning.  My alarm went off at 5 am (quite annoyingly I might add) and I considered resting my head back on the pillow.  After all, we were running ONLY 6 miles today.  No big deal if I missed out.  Arg!  That is a really lame excuse, Heidi.  Obviously I managed to get out of bed and dress in my finest running clothes and think about what a spectacular day it would be.  Hey, at least the weather is FINALLY starting to cool down (thank you Florida!).  I grabbed my banana and bagel and headed out the door feeling pretty good by the time I turned up the music and hit the gas pedal.

So, I show up early and I am ready to go!  I find one of my running buddies and head off down the street… in the dark of course.  It is so dark on the sidewalk (we fear running in the street and getting plowed by a car) that I nearly trip several times since the sidewalk has seen better days.  We are also being whacked in the head by bushes that are protruding too far out (doesn’t anyone trim their hedges around here?).  Fun.  Okay, it wasn’t so bad because I was feeling pretty good and actually running pretty fast to keep up with my buddy (she is a good motivator… she teaches fitness classes).  Without losing any breath, my buddy told me about how she has to go to work after the run to dress up as Superwoman and teach one of her fitness classes.  Then, tomorrow she will be running the 10-mile pumpkin run.  Yet, this Superwoman says that she does not want to run the full marathon because 13.1 miles is enough for her!  Whatever…

As I said, I was feeling pretty good… until… yep, you have it right:  attack of the bowels!  It just suddenly hit me and hit me hard!  Right at mile 5.7 no less.  I stopped short because I couldn’t run.  I was afraid to run because I was thinking about what would happen if I did.  I couldn’t bare to have my finest running clothes ruined!  Needless to say, I told my buddy to continue on by herself.  Oh man, I really need to get to a freakin’ bathroom!  Now!  I walked as fast as I could manage without upsetting my bowels further.  With each step I feared that I would not make it.  Like a light at the end of the tunnel, there itwas… Starbucks!  I am usually  happy whenever I see a Starbucks because it means coffee, but this time my focus was on the bathroom. I will spare you the details of what happened next.

Once relief set in, I ordered my bagel and coffee and happily chatted with my teammates.  My running buddy told me all about her “attack of the bowels” episode that she experienced last week.  Ah, it is nice to know that I am not the only one…

I did make it on time to team training today, but I did not take my usual direct route to get there.  You see, it is kind of difficult to drive through the same neighborhood where a mother of 3 children was shot and killed by a stray bullet while driving in her car.  What is this world coming to?  What can we even do about it?  Just focus Heidi.  You are currently working on raising money to cure cancer.  There is only so much one human being can do.  What can I even do to stop stray bullets anyway?  Or protect innocent children from being hurt? Crying it out kind of helped, but the problem is still there.

A change of route could also mean a change of view.  Possibly thinking about the good things in life.  I should also stop reading through Yahoo News.  Attending a funeral last week sure didn’t help.

On a lighter note, the run was perfectly pleasant.  We are gradually lengthening our Tuesday runs in addition to our long Saturday runs. Not too bad, but that also means more bridge time.  Boy, do I love those wonderful Jax bridges!  Okay, I am being sarcastic, but I kind of like the fact that we run during the darkened evening hours because the lights are on.  The Main Street bridge lights up in a beautiful blue.  I watch the line of cars and become thankful that I am not driving in traffic… however, I sometimes find myself zooming in and out of pedestrians (let me just say sorry to the lady I bumped into this evening).  The quaint little palm trees are adorned with white lights (not like the colorful fall I recently experienced in Ohio, but those palm trees are just fine and actually a bit amusing).  I also enjoy running past Hooters so I can take in the delicious smell of hot chicken wings (and I love how people on the patio just watch us run by… I sure hope they are thinking “maybe I should be running instead of chowing down on these here wings”).  Okay, I am getting hungry.  Toodles.

With the exception of a few males noted in an earlier post, you have to be committed in order to run a marathon.  Essentially, it is a relationship.  Not just any relationship, but one of those good old-fashioned love/hate relationships.  Sometimes you love running and sometimes you just hate it, but you can never get enough of it.

Let me analyze this relationship for you.  The “love” comes from the euphoria of running along an isolated, not-so-well-lit road at 6:00 in the morning.  Yes, I did say euphoria: a profound sense of well-being as described in the dictionary.  Okay, the road could have had better lighting and maybe it would have been nice to sleep in, but once you are there on that road running you don’t really think about those insignificant details.  You just think about how great it feels to propel yourself in a forward motion at a relatively decent pace.  As you look in the darkened windows of the homes that silently fly past, you think about how proud you are of the fact that you managed to be awake and out on your feet before the rest of the city has even blinked an eye.  As those few early morning commuters drive by effortlessly, you wonder if they are thinking:  “wow, that person must have some dedication to be running this early.”  Then, as you finish those 3, 5, 9, 12 or 15 miles (whatever you desire), you just feel completely refreshed in mind, body and spirit.

Well, if it’s so great to run, then why isn’t everyone doing it?  Okay, so I just started with the list of pros.  There are a few cons to running too, especially when you are training to run a very long distance.  I will give an example.  Last night my husband and I attended a Coast Guard function at an awesome pizza restaurant.   “Sounds fun and I love pizza” I thought to myself.  Then I had the realization that I had to get up the next morning at 5:00 am so I could go run a whopping 9 miles.  I sit down and look at the super cheesy pizza in front of me and say “I wish they had pasta here.”  Oh yes, it was delicious… too delicious.  I ate 2 small pieces and realized I should stop if I didn’t want to have a lump of cheese sitting in my stomach.  Then I watched as everyone around me enjoyed a cocktail or a beer and I felt like I might as well have been pregnant again.  Last, but not least, we said our farewells at 8:30 pm so I could get home and crawl into bed.  Yes, very lame I know.  So, to be a long-distance runner, you might as well join the ranks of the senior citizens.  Not just because you have to watch what you eat and hit the early bird dinners, but also because your body creaks and cracks and you have to limp around while saying “ooh, ouch, eek.”

Still, why doesn’t everyone run a marathon?  Because 26.2 miles is a really, really long ways when you don’t have a car.  It is the distance from my house to the Jacksonville zoo for crying out loud!  It takes us an hour to drive to the zoo!  So, if you do decide to run a long race, here is one tip:  pay for the registration and your hotel first and then start training.  You need to have some incentive to keep going.  🙂  I just thought about finishing those 9 miles today because Fay didn’t have a chance to live a full life… myeloma took it from her.  I want to give others a chance to live longer.