Day 13281, & I hit the streets...

I am a road runner.


Well, I am becoming a road runner. Today, I felt a bit more beaten, more like the coyote...

I have always known that the day I decided to run on pavement, it would probably feel like I have not run EVER before. I have mentally prepared my self for this. I was ready...

I just didn't realize that I apparently live in the Swiss Alps, or the Rockies, take your pick. Damn, my neighborhood is really hilly! This is the hill just up from my house. This is where I decided to start. Dumb! I made it up the hill. It was not that bad, as I had just started out. I did begin to wonder if this was going to work out. Mind over matter, I said. Even if the matter was made of asphalt and concrete, I was going to conquer it.

I noticed, almost immediately, that I had absolutely no idea how fast I was going. I had my iPod. I was listening to my running playlist. I should have been able to pace myself. Nope!

When I made it to the golf course, I realized just how hilly the area was. I guess that the houses just do a nice job of hiding the slope of the land. I had no idea how far I had gone, but if felt really far. Then I looked at my watch. 11 minutes. I had been gone 11 minutes and it felt like 30. Well, Chris, you have to stay out at least 11 more minutes to get back. Might as well make the most of it.

So, make the most of it, I did. I continued onward. I found a nice flat stretch of road that I found quite enjoyable, despite the pain I felt creeping into my shins. Again, I was clueless to how fast I was going. I was not clueless about the pain. I slowed to a walk. I hated to waste the nice flat road on a walk, but I have to work today.

You know what I think is worse than running uphill?

Running downhill. OUCHY!!!!! This bit of information was shared with me by the aforementioned shins after about 20 feet of downward slope. My quads, however, seemed fine with the break that they were receiving.

So, I would say that I managed about 65% run and 30% walk. The missing 5% could be attributed to some variation of a jog when I was trying to find some sort of pace; however, I decided that I must have looked silly at this point and gave it up.

What I had not planned was a focused route. I neglected to think through the hills, obviously, but also about how I was getting back home. So, again like a fool, I decided on a route that would let me finish up on this hill. The problem with photography, or my photography anyway, is that you cannot properly convey slope or steepness. Trust me when I say, this was steep and painful.

But, all in all, I did it and that is what matters. I trekked out on the open road for a full 28 minutes. Sure I felt like I was going to die, but I did it. Sure my shins hurt, but I did it.

After I got home, I jumped in the car to measure my distance. 2.4 miles. This was very enlightening. A: I didn't do as badly as I thought. B: My first mile was 11 minutes. C: Including the walking, I did this in 28 minutes. What I know now is that I went too fast. I need to learn to pace myself a bit better. Overdoing it isn't going to get me anywhere. Maybe I can get Jay to follow along in the car, like Joan Crawford had her maid do. There's nothing like adding a little Hollywood glam to a workout, right?

My other issue with today's run? I had to carry my iPod. I don't have a fancy armband or anything. It is a bulky one, at that. The armband approach would probably mess up my alignment, resulting in injury. So, I went to the Apple store.

I think this one should work out quite nicely for the next road running adventure.