1/2 Marathon Training: Week 3, Run 1
The first run of the third week of training was a bit unusual in that I set off for it after having gotten up in the middle of the night for a bout of intense exercise prior to running. So I was a bit sore & delirious. But not in a terrible way. Sure, it was a 20 minute run and I only made it 1.7 miles (11:43 pace), but that was okay. I wasn't in a hurry. I couldn't feel my legs, I sort of felt like I was totally out of my body, the wind was whipping, the sun was rising, and best of all, the birds were out in full force. Hundreds and hundreds of them.
I'm not a birder, but I've determined that there were snowy egrets, great egrets, lots of various ducks, blue herons, gulls, cormorants, and Lord knows what else of every shape and size and color flying and swimming around. Apparently it was breakfast time, and the wings were a-whipping and the birds were a-diving and it was all just so glorious.
Best of all, though, were the pelicans. These pelicans! They just kill me! Year after year, these white pelicans kill me. They are so big and mighty and graceful, and when they're together in a huge group, like they were today, it's almost unbearable, the beauty. As I jogged along the curve of the water, they were gliding in the same direction, and I was just hypnotized and mesmerized and overwhelmed with glee.
First, they were just moving along peacefully in a group of what must have been a hundred or more, and then they started bobbing their heads under water in unison, almost like they were dancing. A woman and I passed each other and basically just laughed out loud in shared disbelief of what we were seeing.
Meanwhile, dozens of pelicans flew directly overhead, and seeing their giant wingspans floating and circling above and then their flapping descents on to the water's surface ... seriously, it was too much. I basically had to stop and run in place at times because I didn't want to miss a moment of it.
I realize this is more about birds than it is about running. But that's what today's run was for me. Sometimes being out there for a run is more about what's going on outside of us than inside of us. Or maybe sometimes those are really the same thing.
Today's Best Running Song: "Viva la Vida" by Coldplay. I know it's the most overplayed, overblown song in the universe, but I still love it.
I'm not a birder, but I've determined that there were snowy egrets, great egrets, lots of various ducks, blue herons, gulls, cormorants, and Lord knows what else of every shape and size and color flying and swimming around. Apparently it was breakfast time, and the wings were a-whipping and the birds were a-diving and it was all just so glorious.
Best of all, though, were the pelicans. These pelicans! They just kill me! Year after year, these white pelicans kill me. They are so big and mighty and graceful, and when they're together in a huge group, like they were today, it's almost unbearable, the beauty. As I jogged along the curve of the water, they were gliding in the same direction, and I was just hypnotized and mesmerized and overwhelmed with glee.
First, they were just moving along peacefully in a group of what must have been a hundred or more, and then they started bobbing their heads under water in unison, almost like they were dancing. A woman and I passed each other and basically just laughed out loud in shared disbelief of what we were seeing.
Meanwhile, dozens of pelicans flew directly overhead, and seeing their giant wingspans floating and circling above and then their flapping descents on to the water's surface ... seriously, it was too much. I basically had to stop and run in place at times because I didn't want to miss a moment of it.
I realize this is more about birds than it is about running. But that's what today's run was for me. Sometimes being out there for a run is more about what's going on outside of us than inside of us. Or maybe sometimes those are really the same thing.
Today's Best Running Song: "Viva la Vida" by Coldplay. I know it's the most overplayed, overblown song in the universe, but I still love it.
Labels: half-marathon training, running
posted by eliza @ 6:03 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home