Bliss on River Road

Lately I have written of my quandry concerning speed versus the absolute pleasure of the run itself. I decided to run ten miles today with the explicit condition that I would not be "fast", and I would try and find my marathon pace again. LSD runners call it, "Long Slow Distance". I was successful, maintaining about a 9:50 pace with no suffering, no panic, and the disappointment of the final mile (meaning that was the end of my run, and I didn't want to stop). Bob made it easy for me by planting Gatorade and water at the three and six mile spots, and I put a nice playlist on my iPod. I went from Pink Floyd and Zeppelin, to the Killers, Night Ranger, Yes, The Kinks, and Muse made an appearance. I specifically loaded slower than usual songs, and I really enjoyed the sounds.

The St. John's river was still and stoic. Various daysailers were anchored out off River Road, and I could see their inhabitants perched on the bows of the boats, and watching the sunrise. I got on the road at about 5:50 AM, so I was pleased to be greeted with the light on the river. It was perfect timing. There was one other runner I encountered, she was obviously working very hard...and I had to maintain and tell myself, "This is for your HAPPINESS. ENJOY this LSD". Happiness it was. I obtained a runner's high at about mile 5, and that is when I increased my pace and hooked on to a negative split for my overall run--my fastest going back into my neighborhood at an 8:00 mile. There was a schweeeet headwind at times, and it helped to combat the humidity. I didn't mind the wind today.

I got home, and my 8-year-old was waiting with her Mother's Day gift and a hug. I promptly showered, and re-joined Bob in bed. I crashed for a few hours, and I ended up having a wonderful holiday. We went to the gym and I did some serious legs for about an fifty minutes, and then roughly 20 minutes of core. My 12-year-old baked me a cake, and I am wrapping up this beautiful day and counting my blessings.