Hi, there, Internet. You’re all so sweet. I still haven’t decided what precisely I’m going to do. I might Tumblog, I don’t know. I’m thinking about it, and I’ll keep you all posted.
In the meantime, I ran outside today. Longer than I’ve gone even on the treadmill, and also up over the Hayes Street Hill. I left my apartment before seven, which was a victory in and of itself. It was dark, and I was like, you know what, foot? WE ARE GOING TO RUN MY FAVORITE ROUTE, SO SUCK IT UP.
I ran the mile to Alamo Square pretty quickly, but the hill hit me hard. I ran up one side, down another… and I still felt surprisingly good. At this point, I’d already run just a slightly shorter distance than I’ve been doing on the treadmill, and I’d done part of it over the nastiest hill in my ‘hood. I tackled the second ascent. I reached the top and looked out over downtown sparkling against the gradually brightening sky. But I did not stop. I cruised down the second, steep descent… and by some miracle, I STILL felt good. Down Scott to Fell, and I pushed through the gradual ascent as I turned back toward the park. I hit the edge of the Panhandle, and my legs suddenly felt like lead with three-quarters of a mile to go. Weenie, I thought. YOU DID NOT RUN UP THAT HILL TWICE JUST TO WIMP OUT NOW. You are going to finish this run, walking is NOT an option.
And I did finish that run. I slowed down a little, but I finished it. 2.6 miles at an average 11:29 pace, including two ascents of the Hayes Street Hill as I looped around Alamo Square. Not stellar, but not awful. A step in the right direction. When I finally collapsed outside my front door, I felt a little like I was going to vomit but a lot jubilant.
All these injuries, they have made me a lot mentally tougher than I used to be. And also, if this is the one run I get outside this week, then I am going to RUN, dammit! Or, um, jog. Whatever.
And once I cooled down and cleaned up, I felt more at peace than I have in weeks.
