My First 10x2

If you've ready my earlier post, you'll know that part of my plan for running this 50K race is what I'll call, my Tuesday doubles. I run 10 miles in the morning and then another 10 in the evening. This way I can still get to work on time, still spend time with the kids, and get in the miles I need. Yesterday was my first Tuesday double.

I went out in the morning and decided to run on the roads because it would be faster. I would not have to spend time driving to the trails. I would walk outside and start. This was a fine run, but I could already notice the difference between running on trails, which are soft, and running on roads, which are not. I had read that trails are softer on your joints and easier on your muscles, but I didn't really get it until I had done a few runs on dirt and then gone back to the roads. People, let me tell you, there is a difference and it is big.

I noticed again when I went out after the kids were in bed. This time I decided to drive to the trails and put in my 10 there. It felt like I was floating. Ok, that's a bit of an overstatement because it was still a lot of hard work, but it was easier on my joints and muscles. And the numbers say that I was faster in the evening than I was in the morning. 8:47/mile in the morning and 8:25/mile in the evening. Now this could be because in the morning I knew that I would need to have something left for the evening run, but a part is also the joy I feel running the trails.

There was a moment when I was about 5 miles from the trail head, about my half-way point, when I stopped to drink and check the map. I thought about how the only way for me to get back to my car was by the power of my own two feet. This fact may freak-out some people, but you know what, it didn't phase me for a second. And that is something I'm proud of. I may not have money, or a fancy house, or take vacations to exotic places, but I can get from point A to point B. Granted I have had to dedicate a large part of my life in the pursuit, but I also enjoy doing it most of the time.

I have been reading a lot of Paulo Coelho lately. Some of the themes common to many of his books are follow your heart, love is power, and dare to dream. I cannot recommend him too highly. And that is what this race, and running in general, are for me. It is a way that I love life. Running is extravagant. I could use my time "better": to make more money, to spend time with loved ones, to wash the dishes or mow the lawn. But when the woman anointed Jesus' feet and the disciples note how the perfume could have been sold and used for something "better," it is Jesus who recognizes the beauty in the extravagance.

Speaking of beauty, I would be remiss if I didn't end by saying that yesterday, the day of my first Tuesday double, was also our 9th anniversary. I would not be able to run as much as I do, or be the man I am, without her love and support.