The week began with a breezy 8km run. I kept my pace and met my mileage. Now I know "easy" and "8k" sound like the ramblings of a mental patient, but after completing Polar's 10k Training Program, it was a distance I had done before and knew I could cover at a comfortable pace. The phenomena of expectation is a funny thing. I used to look at the idea of anything beyond my comfort zone of 5k as a dream. Now I know what to expect and how it feels to go the distance and it's good to know I can do it. That certainly helped get the ball rolling on this journey to 13.1 miles. If I had woken up that day thinking of trying to run a half marathon, I have my doubts I would have gotten out of bed. Even thinking that by the end of the week I was going to put more miles on my feet than on my car would have been intimidating. I didn't even think "Okay, just 8 kilometers and then you can make a great big smoothie with all the peanut butter you want". Instead, I thought about the route. I thought about the path around the sleepy golf course and through the quiet park that my run would take me on. Places that I'd run through before. Yes I know how far those distances are but it's nice to not have a big number staring you down. So that's lesson one, if a distance seems intimidating, just think about lefts and rights; think about landmarks not mile markers. Figure out your route for the distance you need and then forget about the numbers. Just know "Okay this is my long day route, my short day route, my hill route..." and so on.
The most notable run of the short week was a 30 minute run that I had been putting off all day. For whatever reason, I never got around to running that morning, never made it to the gym, and before I knew it the time was 8pm and it was now or never. The sun had just settled below the horizon but the reflective blanket of clouds would keep the light for another hour or so. I took my time getting ready, hoping the heat of the day would have time to dissipate and not smother me on this quick jog. Laced and wired up, I finally step outside, trot down the three flights and step out from under the awning to be greeted by thick, black clouds that still glowed by the dying sunset. A heavy rumble, like that of some unfathomable beast asserting it's territory, called down and rattled the windows behind me. The trees danced and bowed and shook about as the wind swept up to deliver the smell of not so far off rain. The sky thundered again, daring me to a test of speed. Who will be faster, a mortal or the Lightning Gods? I smirked and took off into the misty dusk air.
The rain quickly turned from a fine spray to heavy drops so I began to follow the cover of the trees marking the boundary of the course. I darted beneath the canopies until a very near crack of thunder reminded me of my elementary days living in Texas and being lectured on the dangers of lightning and proximity to trees. I quickly began to reevaluate my cleverness and charted a new path, weaving in and out of the hallways of the apartment buildings that pressed up along the edges of the golf course. I ran out of apartment hallways at about 10 minutes into my run and the rain had retreated long enough for me to cross the street and reach the shelter of a series of businesses. The connected overhangs that I used as relief from the sun most days now protected me from the threat of Zeus's bolt. Still I knew my return route would be less sufficient and the skies did not look like they had any intention of giving me safe passage. The clouds were gathering together, growing darker and towering higher and higher. The sound of electricity ripping through the air grew more agitated and frequent; apparently the Lightning Gods are sore losers. As I reached the end of the strip mall and met my turn around point, the wind began to kick up again, bringing rain that cooled my brow and sent sweat dripping into my eyes. It wasn't strong enough yet to saturate my clothes or flood the sidewalk and thus was not strong enough to make me give up the contest. As I bounded up a hill there was a sudden flash of light behind me followed by the crash of thunder. I shuddered forward with the shock from the lightning and doubled my pace without a thought to logic or scientific understanding of the speed of sound and light.
With 10 minutes left, I came around the other side of an office building to 500 meters of side walk and empty lot. I paused briefly to scan the exposed horizon; the sidewalk connects two tall multi-use buildings, with nothing on but dirt and wild, patchy grass on either side. On sunny days, this stretch is like running under a giant magnifying glass in the hands of some sadistic, immature ent. That night, however, there was no sun, no killing heat, but also hardly any rain and an uninterrupted, panoramic view of an angry, ominous sky that threatened with voltage and vengeance. Impressive displays of static electricity danced from cloud to cloud and mocked the conductivity of my puny, 75% water muscles. I gathered my energy, thought rubber thoughts, and sprinted across the stretch of deserted land, thunder practically nipping at my heels. I made it to the other side and under the building's overhang and out the other side to cross the street for the home run. And of course in this last five minutes the rain began to come down with impatiences. It gathered on the ground and began to seep onto the sidewalk. Cars began to turn on their wipers. The sweat that was already pouring from me was washed away before even having a chance to cool. I could see the final turn I had to make up ahead and as I came around I came full on into the wind, pushing me at the shoulders and chest and face. I pressed on as the coach voice on my iPod counted down "5 minutes... 4 minutes... 3 minutes". Lightning flashed and thunder shook soon after, warning of the proximity of the storm. "2 minutes... 1 minute," as I came into the neighborhood and as I reached my building the Nike coach announced that I had completed my run. And not a second to spare, soon as I shut the door, the skies finally opened and poured down. I had done it I had raced against the Lightning Gods and I had won.
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