A (Re)fresh Start

Today’s running plan was a towpath run in Peninsula that is part of the series Jeff is doing this spring/summer. That plan was scratched a few hours before we were to meet up and switched to the metropark near Jeff’s house since he didn’t have time to do the 6.6 mile run, which required a good 20-30 minute drive each way, as opposed to the three minutes it takes from his house to the metropark. I was fine either way…well, I admit I was a little nervous about going for a 6.6 and do it at a set pace of 10 minute miles when I’ve been going a whole lot slower outside lately…but really, driving the half hour one way or driving the half hour another way really didn’t make a difference.

We started out on the pavement and I started to remember going on this path for the first time just about four years ago. It had snowed that day and I had never run out in Rocky River or done a trail run before but I remember the excitement I felt when I was done, having gone through the trails and enjoyed the landscape inside the forests and passing the streams and ponds. We took the pace at a rate that felt comfortable enough to chat, though there were times when either Jeff cautioned me to get my breathing more controlled or I was aware that I needed to get it more controlled. The colors of the leaves and the bushes were so vivid…especially the green that seemed to have all kinds of shades that ranged from forest green to lime green and moss green.

I liked having the mix of the pavement and the trails but it’s the trails I definitely prefer. I felt like it was just yesterday that I ran through the field that took us from the parkway to the trails. I recognized the nature center and the hill that we have walked up on past runs because I never felt brave enough to run it. We passed it by and I think I heard Jeff say something about let’s try it and truthfully, I wouldn’t have minded it because I know I can handle hills much better now. I was so determined today to do the full run, without the mental struggle I typically have that makes me feel too tired when I am getting so close to the end. As we returned to the pavement and were getting closer to our starting point, Jeff gave me cues on how much we had left…a mile and a quarter….three quarters of a mile…four tenths of a mile. I told him I was going to finish this and not bonk out mentally or physically. I did feel some tugging in my left hip but didn’t mention it. I tried to slow down the pace a little bit to ease the tugging but somehow, I wound up quickening the pace as we were a quarter of a mile away from the parking lot. We finished the run with 4.74 miles and I felt stronger than I have with our previous runs, probably because I focused on not allowing my mind to wander towards the negative self-talk. Is this a fresh start? I’d like to think of it as a refresh but either way, it felt good!