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October 19, 2009
some things I learned yesterday but could not post until today
Last night I got all fired up to post, even let my dinner get cold as I typed and backspaced and typed and backspaced, but running-blogs.com did not want to hear from me just then. So anyway, here are some mild breakthroughs:
yesterday's 18 miler (8 "moderate," then MP the last 10): I can run moderately and patiently for 8 miles, then take it down to low 7s and hold that for 10 miles. In and out of a headwind. Up a hill, even. Alone or with people. At the end of an 85-mile week that came after a 90-mile week. I don't need to start like a bat out of hell. I can stalk and pass, even after I've been running for a while. I can reel people in. It can happen. The ability to do this has taken a while to develop, and doesn't just "disappear" at random.
playing viola yesterday afternoon: I am comfortable enough to correct mistakes on the fly. I don't instantly fall apart at the first mistake. I am more aware of where the bow is and whether this will make an awful sound, and I can correct this *and* play in tune at the same time. I can take some liberties with the music. It doesn't suck quite so much.
I need to remember these things.
Posted by joe positive at October 19, 2009 4:19 PM
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Comments
Progress. That moment of realization is why I continue to train even through months of stagnation and crap races. It's impossible for non-runners to understand this.
The viola epiphany reflects a wider-reaching attitudinal change. Learning to not be so hard on yourself and globalize minor failures? Man, is that ever helpful.
Is that Catherine Ndereba in your header?
Posted by: Julie at October 20, 2009 6:02 PM
That's a most valuable skill for a marathoner. You can come from behind and win - like Steve Spence (well, come third, but a medal is sometimes as good as a win).
Posted by: Ewen at October 21, 2009 1:48 AM
I find the ties between your running and the music to be fascinating.
You may enjoy this Slat Lake City's reflections on running:
http://good4sports.wordpress.com/2009/10/21/running-saved-his-life/
Posted by: bob Babinski at October 22, 2009 9:50 PM
to Julie:
no, that is Joe Positive!
Posted by: corradogiambalvo at October 23, 2009 3:45 PM
no, it's Catherine Ndereba.
Alison Wade, the person who most graciously opened up this site so that I and others could occasionally blog about running and other stuff, also very graciously designed the templates for the blog. So that's where the photo of Catherine the Great comes from.
Posted by: joe positive at October 23, 2009 4:02 PM
I thought so. Ndereba always looks so fierce and robotic when she wears racing glasses, which I have to believe is deliberate. Then she takes them off and you see a totally different face: sensitive and gorgeous.
Posted by: Julie at October 24, 2009 9:23 AM
Joe,
All these posts, and i thought it was you!! That just goes to show how much i know about running...
Posted by: corradogiambalvo at October 24, 2009 2:23 PM
corrado - you really thought that was a photo of me? funny :-)
Posted by: joe positive at October 24, 2009 2:29 PM
joe! Remember the "Spaghetti Monster"??
i'm kidding! either that or my cataracts are getting the better of me,lol... anyway, it might just as well be "you" - of late, you are running so...positively!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ATCKwagSNls
Posted by: corradogiambalvo at October 24, 2009 2:59 PM
corrado: *remember?* The flying spaghetti monster is with us always!
Posted by: joe positive at October 24, 2009 4:04 PM