The Portal

That's what this illuminated doorway looked like to me when I ran by it yesterday morning. Not the portal of "Abandon Hope All Ye Who Enter Here," but the portal of "Change Is Here and Turning Away From It Won't Save You So You Might as Barrel On Through the Door!" I saw it as a marker for this day, this remarkable day when, if only for one day, the optimists of our nation, sick at heart from years of fearing, face the future and bravely say, "Bring it on."

* * * *
I'm contemplating my own (minor) version of change in this blog. I want to remind myself and my readers that it is first and foremost a running-related blog. If some of my running activities have served sometimes as metaphors for other, more general human activities, well, that's just gravy.

So for a little while, until some other direction looks inviting to me, I'm going to focus on my running-related activities. I'm looking to the major mags for inspiration. They have to come up something to say about all different aspects of running, and they have to do it every month. (No wonder they sometimes end up looking silly--see, for instance, the big spread recently in Runner's World on the growing popularity of running skirts. Big yawn, I'm sorry to say--it should have been a sidebar.)

So what do the professionals turn to when it's time to get another issue on the stands? Here are some common topics, in no particular order.
  • Nutrition
  • Gear
  • Strength training
  • Cross-training
  • Speed
  • Hills
  • Injuries
  • Favorite routes
  • History of running
  • Setting goals
  • Training for a race
In my years of running, I've developed some opinions about all of these topics, and because this is my blog, I can put present those opinions here if I want. The idea of corralling my thoughts enough to articulate my take on these various aspects of my sport is challenging.

Let me know if you have any other topic suggestions or what you think might be the best place for me to start.

Comments

Sunshine said…
Well, this seems like an especially good time for you to think about aspects of running... you are going to do the Ave in May, aren't you.
7:04 PM
Anonymous said…
I plan to, although my current training level is a bit low for a May marathon.
8:51 AM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Trying to Make Lemonade

Image
What am I meant to learn from the challenges being thrown at me these days? That I am strong. That I am loved. That life goes on and can be good. My favorite nephew congratulated me for making lemonade when I'd been handed lemons--not sure his belief about me is justified, but I deeply appreciate the notion. Plus, I have an actual lemon tree in front of the house, so I've been practicing my tangy-beverage making. My ribs have healed up well. I'd say I'm at about 95%. I'm glad my minor medical matter is clearing up so I can turn my energy to a more major one: Z is scheduled for big-time surgery on March 31. He is calm; I am calm. Aaaaaaack! Oops, I meant of course I'm serene. The procedure he faces, which involves patching up some crucial circulatory parts, is a common one, and the success rate is high. But still. Send good vibes our way, if you'd be so kind. In other matters, I did run 10 miles Saturday. The run itself went well--I went down to the Bay Trai...
Read more

That Z Man

Image
Yesterday was Z's birthday, and I was thinking about how the story of us is at its heart a running story. About eleven and a half years ago, I was working the registration table at my running club's Fourth Sunday Run , and a guy came up to the table to register for the race. I asked him if he was a club member, and he said "No, but I'm going to change that right now," so I gave him a membership form to fill out. What happened after that is a story that has often been mis-told by others, but I'm here to give you the correct version--after all, I was there. I was running the 10K that week. The race started, and it wasn't long (maybe half a mile?) before I noticed that up ahead of me two of the club's most talented and winsome older women runners were schlepping along with the new guy (who was stylishly attired in purple sweatpants), chatting up a storm. "Those two," I thought. They always talk to the cutest guys." I ran along behind them f...
Read more

Dog-Day Running

Image
Still getting out frequently and doing the old left-right, although the experience has changed a bit over the years. Sometimes I still go back to the Bay Area and run-walk with my running peeps, but most days you'll find me run-walking in my West Sacramento neighborhood with a small black buddy. We're not the speediest pair, but we have our fun! This morning, before the heat set in, Charlie and I covered 1.42 miles. Woo hoo! I'm pushing her gradually to get up to two miles per outing. I'm ashamed to tell you that I love talking doggie baby talk with little Charlie--after all, she only weight 11 pounds, which is kind of baby-sized, right? If it takes talking about "walkies" and "sniffies" with her to give me incentive to get out the door, I'm in. Sometimes I sing little songs to Charlie when nobody else is around. Like the old favorite,  D-d-d doggie, beautiful doggie, you're the only d-d-dogie I adore; When the m- moon shines over the cowshed...
Read more