i'm not sure i've ever felt like this in my life. i suppose that's to be expected since i've never done what i just did. i ran 9.53 miles non-stop. forget the time i did it in. i've never run more than 6.92 miles before. how do i feel? sore. tired. no make that spent. and, strangely enough, happy...sort of.
i've known for quite some time that i need to get in some longer runs before my race at the end of the month. i just haven't had the time to do anything longer than five or six miles. if you were to look over my calendar, you'd break into a cold sweat. i don't have much down time. so when i woke up at 4:00, i decided to pull on my running shoes and go for it. i mapped out my course, drank some gatorade and a little water and left the warmth and safety of my house for what i was pretty sure would be a painful experience.
everything started out as usual. i ran my usual town loop beginning with just a few minor side trips. a jog around the high school. a jaunt north through the new housing development. otherwise it was same old, same old until i hit the southern city limits. that's when i ran straight out of town rather than turn and loop around lucky lane.
it was dark out in the country. the sky full of stars didn't light up my path much, but they were beautiful. i ran to 30th avenue, the furthest i'd ever run out of town, and kept going. my goal was 50th avenue at the top of tracy hill. i ran quietly past all the tracy houses so as not to disturb any of their sleeping dogs. i ran past 40th and kept going.
just after crossing 40th i encountered my first car. i ran to the other side since there wasn't anyone coming behind me. i didn't like the idea of being splated by a farmer who would never expect to see a runner out at that time of the morning on his road. the car passed me and i kept running. a few minutes later...a second car. i did the same cross the road trick. chickens of the world, it can be done!
back on the left side of the road, i continued to climb toward 50th. i kept watching for it in the darkness. it wasn't until i was just 20 yards from it that it appeared seemingly out of no where. i ran up to it and circled around to head back north toward argonia.
my run back was enjoyable for a time. going down hill gave my legs a bit of a break. it was easy to put one foot in front of the other as i coasted down the slope. it was when the hill bottomed out and i started running across the flats again that things became a little unpleasant.
you've heard people say, "you should go before you go"? they're right. i began to have this really uncomfortable feeling as i approached the chickaskia river crossing for the second time. not sure how to put this politely, so i'll just say it. i needed a bathroom and there wasn't one i knew i could access for at least three miles.
grin and bear it. that's what i did for the next two miles or so. i made it back to town still smiling. (or was that a grimace?) i ran around lucky lane and boys street and headed north on main. the need was getting a bit more urgent by this time. i ran on out of necessity. i needed to get home.
i crossed the railroad tracks just before a train came to impede my forward progress. i was really glad. i don't know what i would've done. grrrrr!
i ran up to walnut, turned east and ran the four blocks home. i seriously considered running an extra half mile to make this a ten-mile run since i was so close to double digits, but i decided against it. the call of nature was too strong. i finished my course, stopped my watch and waddled into the house.
i feel much better now. i'm relieved, showered, shaved and ready to eat breakfast. i don't think i'll be running again today...unless, of course, my wife insists on going out at 4:00. we'll see.
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