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A Snowy Day


It is 5am on Sunday morning.  I walk slowly to the office where I sit on my green exercise ball for 4 hours reading journals and textbooks.  Did I forget to say I am a nursing student at Johns Hopkins Nursing School?  This is my weekly pattern.  Get up early. Read for hours and treat myself to the long slow run.  I began this little routine back in 1980s when I started college the first time and pretty much maintained the same routine for 20 yrs. 


Today was as balmy, 28F degrees, icy with snow flurries; but I was determined to continue the tradition.  I am one of those runners who is always and never in training for something mostly because I enjoy staying active and like keeping 10-12 miles under my belt at all times just in case there is a half marathon that I would like to do or have time for at any given moment.  Time goals are a thing of the past for me.  I have transformed from the racer to the fitness runner.  I still appreciate the cardiovascular, mental and musculoskeletal benefits of running so why stop now.

After shoveling the front stairs and sidewalk and cleaning of the car,  I was out jogging in the middle of street before I new it.   My Ipod was on my arm with playlist of artists in alphabetical order.  First song…Al Jarreau singing, “Morning.”

Oh yeah, back to the long, slow run discussion. The Long Run. Yes, everyone may or may not know the benefits of the Long, Slow Run.  I learned about LSR back in the early 1990s when I met Jeff Galloway speaking in Washington, DC.  I had already completed my first half marathon in 2:00 and wanted to know how do I increase mileage without injury or feeling so “beat down” after my runs.  Since I was  and still am an “everyday” runner, I needed to find a way to conquer longer distances.  He went on to explain that the LSR should be run 1-2 minutes slower than a pace that one can normally run for that given day.  Eureka. My problem was solved.  In that moment I understood why I was feeling so beatup after my runs.  I was trying to run the same pace as I ran during my half-marathon @ 9:10min/mile. When I started to do the LSR at 11 min/miles, I recovered faster and went on to complete several half and marathons between 4:00 and 4:30 using this method. Who knows if I will ever be able to accomplish that time again, but it was nice and respectable at the time.  Nowadays with school and family life, I am happy to find time to just keep running at all.

The Ipod is playing the Doobie Brothers at mile 4….”It keeps you running..Yeah, it keeps you running…”

Now fast forward to the 21st Century.  I see people out for their Saturday or Sunday LSR and they spend their entire time looking at their Garmin watch.  It is too hilarious. Many of them are trying to run at the same pace as their intended half marathon pace. Race pace running is important, but not while you are trying to complete the LSR.  Running 101-Race pace day has its day of the week and LSR has it’s day of the week.  I just want to shout at them and tell them what I learned a long time ago, but honestly I don’t think they would listen.  Gadgets such as Garmins are wonderful tools.  I have one also.  But one must know the theory behind how to use the tool not just pick a pace, set it and pound out the miles. 

Wait let me check my Garmin…Mile 8.  Yippee!!!!

Just then Kate Bush…Running up that hill came on.  I wanted to say, “Shut up Kate, I’m tired.” I had been running for 1:45 minutes at that point. I shuffled along and flurries came down. Running in the snow is kinda peaceful. Who knew.  I felt like Peter in The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats.  It was like I never saw snow before. I just smiled as it landed on my nose.

The playlist continued…
Laura Nyro
Michael McDonald
Michael Jackson
Nona Hendrix
Patti Labelle…”I got a new attitude.”  Sing Patti Sing. I am at mile 9.5.

Quarterflash

Just then…approaching mile 10 the ipod pops on
Robert Palmer’s 1978 hit, “Every Kinda People”
            “It takes every kinda people to make the world go ‘round…..”

How appropriate I thought. 

Run your run.  Run fast. Run slow. Run well. Run happy.

~Stayfitt

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ne1lkEEmRCI  Robert Palmer-Every Kinda People

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