Almost a Long Run by Accident

"Don't run for a week."





That's what the nurse told me after I asked when I'd be able to run or do any major exercise like running again after the dental surgery I was having on Friday. Like any reasonably smart kid, I went with the philosophy that if you don't get the answer you like from one adult figure, ask another one. And so I asked the doctor; he said, "give it the weekend before you run again."




Precise definitions of when weekends begin and end are, in my estimation, rather amorphous. At least when it suits me. It was a nice weekend, and I had not run on Saturday. By Sunday, I just had to get out.



I heard that some of my friends were starting their run early. The later 7:30 AM run was to be of the Medina Half Marathon course. The early bunch were going to add six or so extra miles on the front end of that. Being of the early morning sort anyway, I thought I'd try for those first six, and then call it a day. Oh, maybe I'd do a couple more to just begin the Half course, but only if I felt well. Still just two days post-surgery, I thought I'd better not overdo things.


"How's your breathing, Dan?" asked Harold Dravenstott during those early and too fast miles. "Ughhh," was about all I could get out. But then I settled down a bit, and felt almost human by the time we were finishing those first six.




Big Group at the Gazebo before the start of the Half Course Run         Beth Anne Photo

Now it was time for the rest of the gang to begin the Half course run. It was a big group, and I thought, what the heck, I'll go out for a just few more. I ran some more with Harold, and also Theresa Wright and Will Bertemes. Although not as warm as Saturday, Sunday was a good day to run; bright and sunny, not very windy, and cool temperatures. I was certainly enjoying the camaraderie, as well as the day in general.

At some point I realized that I was pretty far into the course. Far enough, in fact, that I may as well run the whole thing. Will and I did miss one turn, and this resulted in a quicker than expected return to Medina Square.

But that was okay. I got 17.99 miles in (18 being what I consider a long run), so it was almost long. And it certainly was by accident.

Running with Theresa Wright and Friends Early on          Jim Blake Photo

Running with Harold Dravenstott by Medina Lake            Jim Blake Photo

The Kid WILL Stop Talking About Himself, but First This About His Recent Running

No one really wants to hear The Kid talk about himself so much, so he's going to stop. Really. Except that he does want to say this first (Notice he's not saying when he will stop).

The Kid is up at 3:30 AM. That's not too unusual. He had decided the night before not to run outside in the cold today, and had promptly gone to bed at 8:30 PM. It is unusual for The Kid to miss a Sunday run in the hills of Hinckley, but he really didn't want to fight the sub-zero temperatures today.

Last Sunday, The Kid did manage to run two of the infamous 9-Mile Hinckley loops. That actually went quite well for him. He was also gratified to be joined by so many of his running friends doing this or that in beautiful Hinckley.

The rest of the week consisted of a couple quite lousy outside runs in the snow, and some treadmill speedwork on days when the snow was even worse. The Kid had managed to stay off the mill for almost all of the mild winter, but this week had been a little different.

And so was today. Today called for a long run, and it had been years (yes, years) since The Kid had run long on the mill. Way back, way, way back, he had run as much as 24 miles on the mill, and he thought he'd try it again today.

He gets the brand-new pair of Mizuno Wave Riders out of the box. The Kid absolutely loves Wave Riders. He starts up his movie, Black Hat, and begins running. Within the first mill mile, The Kid realizes that he's seen this movie before. Well that wasn't very smart. Good thing he has a backup movie, Ex Machina.

This movie isn't bad, and neither is The Kid's run. He makes it to 24, and he's not too much the worse for wear.

And maybe he'll go on talking about himself a little while longer.

Is The Kid Narcisstic? Nah - He's Too Important for That

Astute readers will notice that some of the posts in this blog involve The Kid referring to himself in Third Person prose, like he does in this recent post. This is sometimes taken as a sign of narcissism. But it's not always bad news; sometimes it's a good thing.


In any event, the kid is not a Narcissist. Really.

The Kid is Fine.. Really.

The Kid announces that he needs to stop into the porta-potty that's conveniently located half-way through the famous Hinckley 9-mile loop. "Don't wait for me," he says, not for the first time on this particular run. His running friends didn't listen the other times; contrary to his request, they waited for him at the top of Bellus Road hill, and also at the top of County Line Road hill. This time he really means it.


They don't wait this time, but they do drop the, "Are you okay?" question. And that's not for the first time either. "I'm fine," the Kid tells them. And that's not for the first time either.


The Kid is getting over a cold, and he's been coughing up gunk at times during this run. He doesn't think he's relapsing, but one never knows. He sounds worse than he feels.


Yesterday's long run in Medina saw more coughing, more, "Are you okay?" questions, and more "I'm fine" answers. But that one was 20 plus miles, at a pace much, much faster than the Kid is used to. Of course he was going to cough. Today, he's merely still recovering.


So for the last time, the Kid is fine.. Really.