Post #23
So, the question of the moment has been tossed my way:
1. Go into your archives.
2. Find your 23rd post.
3. Find the fifth sentence (or the closest one to it)
4. Post the text of your sentence in your blog along with these rules.
5. Tag five other people.
First off I’m going to skip #5 because most of the people I know have been hit with this one already. I’m usually late on the list because, well, I don’t generally do these things. However, this one got me curious and I figured that as long as I’d looked it up myself, I might as well play nice with others and share with the group.
My 23rd post was on December 20th, 2003 and talked about my first ever 25K run. Digging through it shows us this nugget of wisdom:
Got up, took the time to take in a beautiful sunrise.
Ah, yes - the sunrise. One of the many wonderful benefits of distance running has been the sheer number of sunrises I’ve seen over the last two years. From the unassuming lightening of a cloudy winter sky, to an almost painful experience as the first ray of a summer morning greets me on a 20 miler, they’re all different and all beautiful in their own way.
I think that my favorite sunrises have to be the ones I saw this summer, running around Austin’s Town Lake, where the first rays of sun filtered through the trees and made wonderful patterns in the mist rising off the water, illuminating a swan coming in for a graceful landing as we an across the Barton Creek footbridge. It even makes up for the fact that to see those sunrises meant waking up before 5AM and running in 90 degree heat with close to 100% humidity. Life has a way of coming up with compensations.
Oh, and the 25K? I had to smile, considering my recent 10 mile race, at the way I was very excited about running faster than my group at a blistering 10:00 pace. Yup, I’ve become just a little faster over the last two years. It was okay for the most part, but I did end up getting a calf cramp in the last mile or two. And rather than stretching it out I ran through it, distorting my form and probably contributing heavily to the IT band issues that hit me the next week and stayed with me for a good 6-8 months thereafter. At least I got to see the sunrise…
Popularity: 3%
Oct 18th 2005
1:01 PM
Been following your treks around Town lake fondly. Good luck in NYC, and here’s to many more sunrises to come
Oct 18th 2005
4:47 PM
I remember those days for you, too, Richard. Look at you now!
Oct 20th 2005
2:10 AM
Those sunrises you describe quite nicely are one of the best rewards for getting up well before the rest of the world. I know they always give me incentive for the next early morning adventure.
And best of luck in the NYC marathon. I ran it in ‘96. An experience I’ll never forget. Savor each of the bridges and boroughs and ethnic neighborhoods within them.