A Tentative Return to Running

Today was a rough day. I miss running so much, and going to my team’s workout last night, although a lot of fun in the moment, left me sad later. I just want to run.

To help make that more likely to happen sooner rather than later, I did a lot of stretching in the morning. By a lot, I mean more than two Pimsleur lessons’ worth—so over an hour. I found the Pimsleur lessons particularly enjoyable today, and they kept me on that exercise mat much longer than would have been the case otherwise.

Graffiti Seen from #1 Subway to Van Cortlandt Park

This multitasking achievement did not have a noticeable effect on my non-running blues, but in the afternoon, I suddenly remembered that there was a race that evening at Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx. I asked Brandt if he would do it with me, he said yes, and I promptly cheered up.

It was a relay race, with pairs of runners each running two miles. I ran the first two-mile leg and Brandt took the second.

I jogged rather than racing (it had been 12 days since I last ran, and the point is to avoid reinjuring myself), but I was so happy to be there it was unreal. I smiled the whole way.

Running is good for my language studies. It grounds me and settles my brain and helps me concentrate.

Me, Thoroughly Happy

Strangely, it was originally all the language studies that helped me get more serious again about running and racing. A year ago I was quite slow, and sometimes still having trouble motivating myself to get on my running shoes and get out to Central Park.

Then, once I began this project and realized I could take VocabuLearn and Pimsleur with me on my training runs, my mileage went up, and my race times went down.

It’s funny how the brain and body collaborate.