Rhode Island Run

This is just a short note - this morning I got back from an Easter weekend with my family and have just about 5 hours before I hop another flight out to the West Coast for a whirlwind business trip. But I had such an awesome run this weekend that I couldn't wait to write about it.

I was really dreading this run - 9.5 miles. My 8 mile run was such a drain - I did it, but the last two miles were SO hard, and I was worthless for the rest of the day. How would I fit in not just such a long run but an afternoon of couch-tethered recovery while spending a too-short three day weekend with my family?

Thankfully, my little bro came to the rescue. Not only did he suggest a great place to run, he also offered to run the first 3.8 mile loop with me. We set out late on Easter morning, with cool temperatures (we had maybe broken 40 degrees if we were lucky) but lots of sunshine and a light breeze. The route was really nice, and most of the roads we ran on were closed to traffic which made things especially easy. I took it really slow and easy; my goal was to be done within 2 hours but I wasn't really pushing myself much beyond that. We started the run down by the beachfront and wove our way up a couple slight false flats. On our way, we saw families and couples out enjoying the sunshine, lots of dog-walkers and a couple other runners, walkers and bikers.

I felt really good on the first loop around, and Ben did a good job of keeping me from picking up the pace too much. Before I knew it, we had made it back to the starting point. Ben dropped off at that point, and I set out for loop number two. I was completely Ambiv the whole loop - just thinking my thoughts, listening to my breathing, and enjoying the feeling of the sun on my face. Before I knew it, I was pulling into the parking lot again, telling Ben "I'll be right back," and heading back out for my last 2 miles with a big smile on my face.

The last two miles I mostly just felt grateful that my legs were still turning over. I felt kind of separate from my body - I knew my legs were going, but I wasn't getting the usual biofeedback to STOP RUNNING PLEASE GOD STOP RUNNING RIGHT NOW. I jogged out to my turnaround point and headed back to the car. When I got there Ben was waiting with his girlfriend, and the two of them gave me a good cheer as I finished up.

This was really one of the best runs of my life. Total time was about 1:47:00, which again is not particularly fast when you do the math, but I made it within my goal time and, more importantly, felt good to great the whole time. I took two walk breaks to scarf some gels, but other than that never felt the urge to walk. It was great to run with my brother, too - he's always been more active and fitness-focused than me, and I think if you had asked us 5 years ago if we saw ourselves running together in the future, we would have laughed you out of the room.

So now, with very little reservation, I say I'm ready for the Cherry Blossom. Bring it on.