The Real Deal

Day 56 of 130
Ks covered:350
Ks to go: 752
General mood: Pretty good
Running highlight: Finishing long run
Equipment status: Back in action
Body status: Left knee is twinging
Weight: 145

Note to self – imaginary running isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.

I made it through my long run Thursday, but barely. Unfortunately, in real life, the finish line doesn’t pop out from behind a bush the minute you start to feel tired. And, no matter how badly you want it; in Oakville, Ontario, it’s highly unlikely that a Marching band will accompany you on your run.

So, it would seem I’m done with the fake stuff and back on the real streets.

Speaking of realistic…. I’m almost half way through my training and not even close to half way with my Crazy Haruki mileage goal. What was I thinking? Is Haruki really crazy or was I crazy for ever thinking I could touch his “serious” runner status? Is it possible for a mother/writer/wife/ chauffer/chef/personal shopper/cleaning lady/Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Model to be a “Serious Runner”?

Now, my husband has zero sense of direction. We’re talking GPS-needed-to-find-the-fridge sort of thing. So when he runs he takes off in one direction until he has run for half his allotted time. Then he turns around and, like a forgetful goldfish swimming about a tank, heads back the way he came, and it all feels new.

My husband does this because he knows that getting lost could mean a much longer run. I’ve always thought that was kind of tragic: his runs are monotonous; he misses 50 per cent of the scenery available; and frankly, who has a sense of direction that bad???

But maybe there’s something to it. Because my husband’s routine delivers a very clear understanding of what the term half-way actually means. His half-way turn marks a very clear line-in-the-sand (although with him, it’s usually a post box or a street light) which indicates that he has achieved exactly half the distance he set out to cover. In contrast, I run forwards to new sights and challenges – so right now all I can seem to focus on is how far I still have to go.

So this week, I think I might spice up a run with some monotony: I think maybe I’ll reach out my hand, touch a lamp-post, turn back the way I came, and take a look at the other side of the trees for a block or two. Maybe the rest of my journey to Ottawa is still uphill, but more than 350k is still a long way up to look down from. I wonder if that’s how Kenyans think as they run their mountain roads to school?