Halfway There

Tuesday morning and a magnificent day. I was so excited about my run I locked the car key in the car. It phased me for only a few seconds. So what! I will be running the North Shore of St. John this glorious morning! I planned to go a little further today, as I have been keeping my runs to about 1 hour or so and only going as far as Peace Hill and then returning to the starting point which just happens to be the starting line of the 8 Tuff Miles, which is our local race on St. John and one of the reasons I became a runner to start with, no pun intended. Since finishing the Portland Marathon 16 days ago I am caught up in a practical rule of running pertaining to marathoning. For every mile, this being 26.2, give yourself a day to recover properly and do not push your self too hard, even if you feel great. I will play it safe and give myself 30 days. Holding back is part of proper training as is rest. Your days off are as important as your hard runs. So I am midway through the 30 days and I planned a little longer run at an easy pace. I am striving to be back in top half marathon shape by mid-December and will start running the 8 tuff miles course once a week starting the 2nd week of November, until race day on the last Saturday of February.

As I start my way up the first hill on the north shore at mongoose junction I am always reminded of the challenge and the awe of what I am doing. The first 5 minutes up that hill set the stage for the remainder of the run, and the obstacles I must overcome, both on the road and the ones I am sorting out in my head. As I flow along after the first hill something seems different. More open and spacious and safe. Initially I write it off as the mind plays a lot of tricks on you when your heart rate is that elevated and you enter that zone of mind games. But it stays with me and I soon realize the forest has opened up once again to allow room on the side of the road after all the rains of an active storm season. As I look to the side of the road I can once again run on the dirt and gravel and minimize the pounding somewhat that the feet and legs take with every foot strike. The sun is bright and the run is simply perfect. I pass by the national park employees that are clearing the brush and overgrowth from the road, that constant battle with nature that man will never win. They use the the old and new, Machetes and weed whackers and do an excellent job clearing the mountainside and the ravine side to make it safe, as safe as roads like these can be, for the cars and trucks and us runners, walkers, hikers and bicyclist. They are about halfway there, there being the turnaround point of my run and I imagine in the next few weeks they will have most likely cleared most or all of the North shore brush and once again I will have plenty of room to run on the side of the road as my runs get longer and longer. The 14 mile out and back from the race start to the taxi turnaround at Annaberg Ruins is the run I must once again conquer. It is both brutal and glorious, dreaded and anticipated, and a milestone of my training.

Halfway there is a good place to be, in the moment looking both at what you have accomplished and what remains to be conquered. Just me and the road workers on a perfect day on the North Shore.