Running Commentary

Notice the type is green today. I've recently ventured twice into the wild, where there have been actual trees--a bit of a change for this urban running gal. The first wild excursion (if a race with 649 galumphing humans in it can be called wild) was the Humboldt Redwoods Half Marathon, last weekend. I was pretty nervous during the weeks and days leading up to the race, but ended up having a reasonably good run.  Yes, my hips got sore, and yes, I did some run-walking, but I'm not embarrassed about my time--heck, I showed up and fought the good fight! (Oops, sorry about the militaristic metaphor. Blame it on the endorphins--or maybe on the bagpiper.) Just FYI, I came in sixth out of the 12 women in my age group. My friend L was second--yay!! The other scenery experience occurred this morning when I went out for my club's Saturday fun-slash-training run. It took place in Redwood Park (lots of redwoods in these scenic excursions).  I went out earlier than the rest...

We start this post with a picture of the Atlantic Ocean. It's cool, calm, and beautiful, like I aspire to be. I'm running the Humboldt Half Marathon a week from Sunday, and have been cheerleading myself in preparation. I address all my body parts with a "Yay, you can do it!" attitude. Body parts include the brain, who needs to be told "You are strong. You can do anything, including continue to function as your body gets beaten into the ground!" To my nose, I give the happy suggestion: "Don't forget to stop and smell the you-know-whats!" "Feet," I say, "I know you tend to cramp. It's okay, babies. Just hang in there. C'mere, let me give you a massage!"  Meanwhile, I continue to run, but try to do it gingerly so I don't annoy any more body parts:  "Aw, come on piriformi [the plural of piriformus?], don't go all whiny on me now." Got back a couple of weeks ago from a trip to the East C...