20 Mile Run: Forrest Gumpin'

Today's run started miserably and ended wonderfully.

I got up at about 7:00AM to avoid the heat of the day. I did, but my legs were super-sore from yesterday's plyometrics. And my back and arms were super-sore from the Innagural BillDay swim. I was not running quickly and it was painful. My legs felt like cement.

Running through the neighborhoods around our house I sought motivation. I knew that this was the perfect day for a two hour run. I wanted a two hour run, but I couldn't find the motivation. I wasn't going quickly, but I was hurting a lot.

Then, after about a half hour I saw the Embry Hills Shopping Center with the Kroger. Hmmm. I knew that on Northcrest there was the Silverbacks Stadium. So I thought I'd head there. I hadn't run there before. Going somewhere new excited me a bit. I settled into a rhythm.

Then, beyond the Silverbacks Stadium I saw I-85. I crossed it and kept going. My legs had loosened up. I was enjoying my run.

Then my motivation came: I'd run straight out for two hours. I knew I had a five dollar bill. I didn't think I had pissed Heather off lately, so she'd likely pick me up. So I went for it.

It became a glorious run. I tapped into something I haven't tapped into with running in a while. The core spirit of it. The enjoyment of it. The pleasure of being out on the road, turning miles. No injuries. No pace. No expectations. Nothing. Just running. It was great.

I continued until it turned into Crestview. Then it crossed I-285. Then it turned into Wesley Chapel. Then it ended and I had to turn right onto Spalding.

It was interesting going through the neighborhoods. From poor to uppity. In the car it seems like they're far apart. While running they felt close. I saw quite a few people out. I waved and said "good morning" to every one. The people in the poorer parts of town are a lot more responsive, often waving and saying "hi" back. The people in the uppity parts of town give a lame glance and don't smile... that is if they're even out of their SUVs and not trying to run me off the road. That said, the people who cut the lawns in the uppity neighborhoods also smile and say "hi" when you run past. That's nice.

Despite sidewalks for much of my route, I chose to run in the road. The pavement is softer and it's less work. No curbs to worry about. It pisses drivers off... especially in the uppity parts of town. I guess those people think they have to be somewhere quickly.

At two hours, about 14.4 miles, I gave Heather a call from a gas station. I figured my run was over and I was happy with it. Two hours would be my longest run of the season so far. I felt good. I was at peace.

The stop took five minutes to grab a powerade and call Heather. The first time I called I had to leave a message. I called right back and she picked up. "Past Silverback Park and right on Spalding, go straight," I told her.

Then I thought I'd just stretch out my legs a bit. I started running again. I figured it'd take Heather a little while to load Ava into the car and find me. I took it easy and continued to enjoy the run. It was getting warmer and I was out of power gels and had nothing to drink. I figured I'd run five or ten more minutes.

At two hours and thirty minutes I was still feeling good. I just kept going. Suddenly I realized that the road was no longer called Spalding. I was in an industrial area. I got scared for a few seconds that I had turned, but thought back and realized that I had gone straight. Heather's smart and would go straight.

Ever since a few miles before the gas station the road was at a slow and steady incline. The hill wore on me so I took it slowly.

At two hours and fourty minutes I ran out of road. Spalding, or whatever Spalding had become, ended. No Heather in sight and I was at about 18.5 miles. So I turned around.

It's kind of tough to turn around at 18.5 miles. Part of my motivation was the excitement of going out, out, out. Part of my motivation was to show Heather how big my balls are. Yes, after almost eleven years I still want to show Heather how big my balls are. So it's tough to deflate them by a mile or two by turning around. But I couldn't take a right or left, not knowing which way Heather would go. And I didn't want to stop.

At 19.6 miles, heading back, I saw Heather. I kept running, motioning to her that I needed five more minutes. I wanted to hit 20 miles. Heather is the most patient woman on Earth.

Great run. Absolutely wonderful. Slow and fun. Tapping the enjoyment of running in my youth. I'm now officially ahead of where I was last year at this time for IM Fla training. Knock on wood. (Of course, I'm way behind on the swim. But the run's where I blew up last year.)

Great way to spend a morning... Forrest Gumpin'!

From the movie Forrest Gump: "That day, for no particular reason, I decided to go for a little run. So I ran to the end of the road. And when I got there, I thought maybe I'd run to the end of town. And when I got there, I thought maybe I'd just run across Greenbow County. And I figured, since I run this far, maybe I'd just run across the great state of Alabama. And that's what I did. I ran clear across Alabama. For no particular reason I just kept on going. I ran clear to the ocean. And when I got there, I figured, since I'd gone this far, I might as well turn around, just keep on going. When I got to another ocean, I figured, since I'd gone this far, I might as well just turn back, keep right on going."

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