10.00

So, what have I learned in 1,000 posts about running and endurance sports, and almost 5 years of consistent training?

Apparently, not much:

I’d set out to do 12 miles Saturday after drill. It was warm(ish) – low 40’s instead of low 20’s and kind of overcast, with snow melting furiously on the sidewalks of Newport. I changed, bundled up, and headed towards the door.

Before I’d even left the locker room, I realized I still had on my work socks. My internal conversation went:

Voice 1: “Oh, crap.”

Voice 2: “Hey, self, what’s up?”

Voice 1: “You’ve still got black dress socks on.”

Voice 2: “Oh, crap.”

Voice 1: “So, let’s go put on the good running socks. You’re going to go 12 miles, the sidewalks will be covered in slush. You’ll get blisters if you don’t.”

Voice 2: “But the locker is WAAAY back over there. Like 30 or 40 whole feet.”

Voice 3: “Hey, y’all – let’s go get some ham.”

Voice 1: “Did you invite him? Anyway – blisters. I guarantee it. It’ll take one minute.”

Voice 2: “But we’d have to sit down! And take off the shoes! And tie them again… Come on – you know these shoes fit. They haven’t given us blisters in the 400 miles or so we’ve put on them. As a matter of fact, you haven’t had blisters since last year.” (ed. note – that’s not exactly true – these same shoes gave me blisters at New Haven last year.)

Voice 1: “Dude, it’s wet. It’s salty. You’re going a long way. Wear the darn socks.”

Voice 2: “Screw that. We’re going.”

Voice 1: “But…”

Voice 3: “Are we getting ham?”

And I left.

The run was good. The warm front was blowing in off of the gulf stream – I headed through downtown, onto Spring Street and then Coggelshell, and then got on the south end of the Cliff Walk.

Man, I love that part of it – running on the granite, watching the surf.

Trouble is, Voice 1 was exactly right. The snow and the mud went straight through the Asics, my socks were soaked, and the rubbing started. About mile 7, I was sure I had blisters, and was at least 4 miles out from the gym.

About mile 8, It hit me that this was a completely fitting thing about which to do post 1K. 1,000 or 10.00; all sorts of good stuff.

So, I spent the next two miles meditating on what running has brought me. Thinking about how:

• I’ll never, ever be able to capture the rage at winter that Jon does
• Tap into the running network the way that David does
• Never be as graceful as April Anne.
• Remembering running on two continents with the Amazing Hip (Speaking of which, hip – how’re you?)
• Wondering if I can get in a bike ride with The Running Chick with the Orange Hat . And Rudi.
• I’m happy that I’ve still got twitter to keep up with Susan, who continues to re-invent herself in ways that inspire.
• And if Warren can learn to swim, and not let winter beat him, it’s not beating me, either. And it, most definitely, is on.

I could continue to go on – the community of running bloggers rocks.

So, thanks, y’all.

One of the things that is cool to me, though, is to see how running/biking/swimming has become a routine part of lives. The arc is great to see, no matter how many times it happens.

So, who’s with me for the next 1,000 posts?