Running is a built up sport. If you stop, it is like starting all over. It is definitely not like riding a bike. On second thought, maybe it is a little like riding a bike. As my runs become longer, my body starts to settle into a familiar position, shoulders down and relaxed, hips dropped, arms at 90 degrees, pelvis forward. It’s the position I used to take when I knew I was in for a very long run. This time it is happening after 1 mile. I’m not sure what that’s about and I’m trying not to worry. The 3 miles that I’ve been struggling to run so far is nothing compared to the 26.2 I will eventually need to run.

I remind myself often that I got to that point before, so I can do it again. These past few weeks, I’ve been running in various cities and on my regular running track. In my regular routine, I’m relieved to see the 70 yr old speed walker is back, still walking faster than I can run. I also have a new greeter, who says hello to me at each passing. What’s cool about that, is that I saw him at a recent half marathon as I was manning one of the water stations. He said hello and I was genuinely happy to see him. He seems so enthusiastic about running and kept the same energy and temperament that he had during his training run. The next time I see him, I’ll at least ask him his name. There’s a reason why our paths keep crossing and I’ll figure out why eventually. Before you say it’s all a coincidence, I have a friend who also ran this race and I did not see her at my water station and although we run most of the same races all over the world, we’ve yet to cross paths.

On a side note, after seeing what goes into prepping the water stations, my new strategy will be to drink the gatorade, use the water on my body and stop at the medical tent for bottled water. No way I’m drinking the water  in the cups after I’ve seen the source! Me and my fellow volunteers kept joking that the things that fell into the water were protein sources and the stuff falling from the trees into the cups were organic.

I’ve been doing the stairs, hill repeats, some speed training and strength training and I still don’t have the power I use to have. I’m trying not to become discouraged, because I can feel my strength building slowly. My legs lose power after the second set of stairs, I can barely make it up to do hill repeats, and although I can see I’m running fast during my speed training, I still can’t feel my abs working. It is a weird feeling, or non-feeling. The upside is that I can’t feel the soreness if there is any either.

I had the opportunity to run in Florida a few weeks ago. At 7 am in the morning, the air was humid, I had an audience and a few fellow runners forging our own running path on the massive grounds of the hotel. I managed about 2.5 miles before the sun became unbearable. Running in the humidity was sort of deceiving, my skin felt moist and air passages felt good, which led me to feel less dehydrated than I really was. I ran around the parking lot, the back lots where the real action of the hotel takes place, I ran by the pools, filled with people wading in the early morning. I ran by the golf course filled with players readying to tee off for the tournament related to my reason for being in Florida. It certainly felt like more than 2.5 miles and with the various audiences, I was forced to keep a good form the entire time. 

It is a slow build to progress and I’m getting there.