Back to Basics

The alarm went off at 4:45 am. It had been a while since an early morning run, we had transitioned to evening runs. But alas we could not abandon the early mornings. Off we went, the wind was howling and the temps were in the mod twenties. I didn’t even think about what we were getting ourselves into. It couldn't be worse than the wet run from last night. Dressed for cold I had on 3 pairs of pants, 4 shirts paired with gloves and a hat, 10 steps into the run I was overheated. I lost the gloves and scarf. Things went well, we got into our rhythm. At the top of the hill on East Ave we picked it up a little. A run with a little banter is a good run. After a mile or so our partner picked it up and left us in the dust. No worries, I’m not trying to win the marathon, just finish it. Around Butler I noticed how light it was getting. I also noticed how nice this run felt. Part of me expected to be sore, it was day three of running, but no pain. We turned up the other side of the Blvd and there was some conversation about where the route should go next. Worried about the time, we headed towards Elmgrove Ave. Things were going right along, we regrouped and were all going at the same pace again. I realized how cold it must have been when our partner’s sweat was forming icicles on her hair. It didn’t feel that bad out, thankfully. Heading up Elmgrove I started to feel that nagging pain in my left ankle again. This pain has been on and off for a few weeks now. Last night I had a debate with my coach about what impact my work shoes were having on it. I’m not ready to give up my heels yet, I’m going to try an ankle brace first. Regardless we were at the end of the run and I could see the car. At this point I was running on the opposite side of the road from Joe and he was slightly ahead. I tried to push it and overtake him. Unfortunately I picked it up too soon and couldn’t hold it until the end. He saw what I was doing and picked it up as well. He won this sprint to the car but we’ll have more to compete against each other!