Lately I've been envious of those runners who can bounce easily from one run to the next without much fatigue or pain in those areas of the body that are necessary for, um, moving about in general.
I'd like to be THAT runner. You know, the one who could run a trail marathon last week with a decent time under six hours, say, then the next weekend run an ultra of the 50M+ category, and then do an "easy 5 mile shake-out run" the following Monday. WHO DOES THAT? Plenty of people do, apparently.
I want to be THAT crazy. I want to actually be able to do it without any niggling injuries, with seamless incorporation into my life and work as a boarding school teacher and dorm parent, and without the huge time commitment. I would love to be able to wake up at 3:30am after falling into bed at 11:30, run a few hours by myself in the dark (and in the WOODS with nocturnal animals milling about), be back home in time for my son and hubby to wake up, send them on their way to work and school, drink my black coffee and have my eggs florentine that I prepared the night before, get ready for my own work day, work, run with my cross country girls, etc...and find an hour or two in the day to do another workout. Just imagining a schedule like that is EXHAUSTING.
That sounds eerily like ultrarunner and all around amazing woman Anita Ortiz who somehow manages to fit it all in with a family of four teenagers, a husband, and a FULL TIME TEACHING JOB. Wow. Here's a really cool article about her (Running Times) and here's another (Trail Runner Magazine). I don't have the genes, body mechanics or infinite amounts of energy to be able to to complete the amazing feats she does. But I can dream... She is a huge inspiration! Make sure to read about her amazing feats.
All this is to say that I am thankful for the things that I can do. I think I have finally reached a point where I can do successive runs and workouts of varying lengths and types without struggling with annoying things like plantar fasciitis, weird pains in my inner ankle, or excessive weight (still working on this!) that prevent me from doing more than a couple of miles. I've been without major damage to both psyche and physique for the past two years and I am grateful for that.
Thank you, body. I appreciate and honor you.
