thanksgiving run

Running for 9 miles last week was probably one of the most enjoyable runs over 5 miles that I’ve experienced. I had mentally prepared myself for fatigue and near physical misery knowing full well just how long 9 miles is, knowing I hadn’t run 9 miles in over seven months, knowing the furthest distance I had run in the last seven months was just over three miles and that happened nearly two months prior, and further knowing I had run all of maybe a dozen times in that seven months. So how the heck did a 9 mile run turn out so enjoyable? First of all, the weather cooperated splendidly. Thanksgiving in the northeast is suppose to be rather cold, but this year the temps were in the mid-50’s at race start and moved into the 60’s before I finished. The air remained precipitation free and the winds only gusted a bit here and there. Secondly, I think I simply ran smart. I knew full well going in that I was not properly trained and quite out of shape. I didn’t head out fast. I stuck to the middle of the road as much as possible, avoiding the natural rounding of the road sides that has been known to aggravate my IT band around my knees a number of times in the past. Mentally, I respected the distance (there’s always a few at every race that you just know they decided to run on a whim, thinking, “oh, it’s only however long, I can push through that.” But they don’t have a clue just how far even a single mile really is when you’re running the thing.) And I was familiar with the course so I knew that yucky hill in mile three would last the entire mile, but after mile four, I could look forward to rolling hills with a decent amount of net loss in altitude. I also had no shame in walking those hills. Due to past race experiences, I am quite familiar with the feeling of forcing myself to keep “running” up a hill that required an incredible amount of effort only to end up so spent that by the time I got to the easier parts of the course I had nothing left with which to take advantage of the downhills. Yep, there’s a lot to be said for mental preparation. Over 1,100 people finished the race and I was one of the last 100, but I did finish ahead of 50 people or so, with a time of 1:51 and change and zero injuries (gotta love that). Since my usual goal is to finish a race a few hundred yards in front of the trailing ambulance, I did really well. Now that I know my body can still get through 9 miles without completely rebelling, it’s time to get back to some regular training. There’s a spring marathon calling my name….