Tuesday, January 14, 2014

Alone in the Deep, Dark Woods

I suppose I've now done about five outside runs from my new office area, into Cleveland Metroparks’ North Chagrin Reservation. They've all been in the disorienting darkness, and until today, they've all been under the expert tutelage of Dave Gajewski.

Yesterday’s run with Dave and his running buddy Kevin didn't go so well for me. Having just gotten over this sinus infection and the previous day’s excellent Medina Half Marathon group course run, I wasn't up to the task of running that hilly nine-mile course with those guys. I kept falling behind, which frustrated me. They would occasionally run back to me, which frustrated me more. And then I had an even further tough time keeping up, which frustrated me still more. But what frustrated me the most was when, near the end of the run, my left knee decided to give out again. As usual, I screamed out like a girl with the sudden pain.

On top of everything else, I haven’t been completely sure where exactly I've been during these early morning runs in the darkness. So today, running all by my lonesome self for the first time, I decided to explore. It was about time I learned my way around on my own.


And I did. Now, today’s run wasn't exactly stellar either. It wound up as about six sluggish miles. I started slow and ended slower, even feeling a little dizzy as I was finishing up. But I did it. I learned my way around the park. At least a good part of it.

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