An Ode to the Run

Don't get me wrong - I really love triathlon, too.  I like the challenge of three disciplines, I like the variety it brings to my training, I like how I get more of an all-over tone rather than putting too much into just my legs.

That being said, there's just something about running.  Maybe because of the three, it was the one I came to first.  Maybe it's because of the simplicity of it; I don't know.  But as much as I love training for tri season, and knowing that I'm getting better and faster and stronger in all three disciplines (the other night I uttered the phrase "I think in the next couple years I'd like to do a half," words I swore I would never say) running has a siren call for me.

The ritual of it - from the simple nights of lacing up my shoes and putting on my Garmin to knock out a couple miles, to the long weekend runs that see me loading my spibelt with ipod and gels and packing a cooler with water bottles, it's just great and simple.  I get outside in the early morning and love the soft morning light that filters through the trees around our neighborhood.  I love feeling part of that community of runners, seeing others out getting in their mileage before the day gets going.

Out of all of the random running accessories that I've amassed (it should be a prerequisite that a home with two triathletes needs a spare room to store all the parts and pieces of the sport), my Garmin 305 and my shoes are the things I look at with the most affection.  My Garmin in particular because it's there with me on my runs and my rides and my walks but my shoes because they carry me where I need to go.  Retiring a pair for a new one is a sad but exciting process.  Bidding goodbye is so bittersweet, even though at the same time I look forward to the new additions to the family.

Currently, I run in Newtons, and I'm a huge fan.  I can see myself sticking with these for years to come (though I might rotate in some minimalist shoes for variety).  I look at my shoes with all the affection I imagine a child holds for their favorite stuffed animal or a dog for his favorite chew toy.  I'm just attached; I like to have them with me (when running is in my future, not in a creepy, I take them to work with me kind of way).

I'm getting all sentimental I think, knowing that training for marathon #2 starts in just a few weeks.  I know I have sore muscles, ice and foam rolling in my future, and many hard hours on the road.  But I'm looking forward to it.