11.13 Miles. 1:19:01 (7:06/mile). This might be a longer-ish entry. As we were finishing our drive to San Diego last night, I was getting excited to get up and run this morning because (a) I didn't run yesterday (b) I love change of scenery (c) sea-level ogygen and (d) to be able to run around my old 'hood. We got to my parents and were suprised that they stayed up to greet us at 12:15. We eventually made it to bed at about 1:30 after staying up and talking for a while. I couldn't sleep in and got up at 5:45 and headed out.
The whole run didn't feel labored at all. I think it was mostly because I was distracted by the rush of memories every road had. I decided to make the run a "life in review". I started out by running out to my 'old house' that I grew up in until I was 11. I swore at the time we moved that it was on the other side of the State. . . it was about 3 miles. I then realized I would have to think of a lot of other places to hit. It's funny how things when you are young seemed so big and so far. Another example was the elementary school I walked to when I was 6 was only about .75 miles from my 'old house' instead of the 2 miles I'd been perpetuating. In my defense, it still is uphill both ways! I then went to Helix high school where all of my siblings went to school and ran around the campus (for football fans this is the school where Alex Smith and Reggie Bush played together). I ran past the pool where I did a bellyflop off of the high dive when I was about 6-7 and my brother and his friend convinced me that anybody who does a bellyflop dies 10 minutes later. I sat against the wall crying into my towel wishing I could spend those moments with my family and not in pain, all the while they are laughing around the corner. I laugh at it now, but I think it was pretty traumatic at the time. I ran a few laps around the newly rennovated track at the school (I'm sure Reggie and Alex had something to do with that). That is the track that I ran my first race on (and won!). I ran by a uncles house (too early to stop by), by the old baseball card shop turned beauty salon. I could go on and on. I covered roughly 18 years of my life in an 11 mile run. It almost seemed as if the 18 years went as fast as the run did. At the risk of sounding really cheesy, the run was pretty humbling and motivational to be able to have that rush of memories come in and reflect on all those forgotten memories. It was humbling and motivational in the sense that I was able to think about what I have now with my family and health to be able to go on a run like this and for everything I've been given in life, let alone just to be alive. I don't want to take it for granted, ever.
As for the actual run, I felt great and loved the variation with some very, very steep hills (Mt. Helix is a beast!) I'll try to use tomorrow's long run to get ready for Deseret News' long downhills.
Saucony | 