Back in the biz

I ran six miles today, and I could not be happier about it. Six miles is how far I was running on average, five times a week, a few months ago. Then, while I was training for Bloomsday, my IT band got all sensitive and whiney and started causing me hot, unignorable pain. That was April 15th. It's been more than three months since I've run 6 miles during a single run, and I cannot express how much I've missed my regular running habit. I've been out there over the past month or two, slowly slowly slowly building back up to real running, but it's been different. For one thing, I have to run slowly right now, because that's easier on my leg. I also have to run on pretty flat surfaces, with almost undetectable inclines, which eliminates pretty much every running route I really love.

And even more, oh, I don't know, aggravating about getting back into the running biz, is that fact that my mind can't wander while I'm running like I like it to. I think the thing that has really hooked me on running is the space it's given me to just think, to pound out stress, to let my mind go, without any limitations. Somehow, running makes normal distractions and self-doubting disappear. But now that I'm getting over an injury, I have to think about how my leg is feeling while I'm out. Was that a twinge of pain? Was that a moment of hotness? Is my IT band grinding way too close for comfort over my knee joint? I can't really lose myself in other things because I can't really forget about the little nuances of what my body is actually doing.

The six miles today weren't great thinking time, but I did listen to a This American Life podcast, and I did tour some unexplored neighborhoods, and I did briefly visit a McDonald's, not for a sundae, but for a drink of water from their bathroom sink. I'm sure the manager there is not a big fan of thieves like me, who sneak their giant sweaty tomato faces into the building without bothering to buy even an Egg McMuffin, but I don't care. I used to steal a drink of water from that bathroom two summers ago, while I was training for a marathon, barging in like a hot mess, just like I did today. Stopping at McDonald's felt good, as if I had remembered about an old tradition, something my real runner self would do. Running isn't doing much for my mind yet, but the McDonald's trip bodes well for the future.