9/11

Today's run (street): 5.35 miles at 9:20

Yesterday morning I felt run down so I decided to forgo my run. I thought about a city run later in the day but since I planned to leave the office early I deferred that too. I thought about sneaking in a short run when I got home but ultimately decided that resting when I felt tired was the best thing to do. We had an early obligation this morning so I had to wait until 9:30 before I could go out for my run. I wasn't there mentally and I was still feeling a little tired but I was determined to cover at least five miles.

Today is September 11 and as I ran through the streets of my neighborhood I thought about my experience nine years ago, sitting around a table in my office and seeing my workmates stream by the door on their way to the corner conference room to watch the events on TV. A colleague popped his head in and said "Do you know what's going on right now?" Later I stood in an office on the 40th floor and looked downtown at the surreal clouds of smoke covering the southern end of the Manhattan skyline. I also remembered how sad we all felt a long time after that day. I didn't think things would ever feel normal again.

I wish I was a runner back in 2001 because running would have been a perfect method of sublimating those emotions. I certainly appreciate running today, and no matter how well or difficult a run may be I almost always get something out of the experience. Today was tough from the start but I focused on my form, my stride (using Kenley's can stomping concept to help maintain a mid foot landing) and my pace. I didn't feel very strong so I conceded some speed in the middle of the run. I picked up the pace over the last half mile and was happy at the end with my result. Tomorrow I'm doing a practice run on the Great Cow Harbor 10K course with BJS and Dave, both of whom are veterans of this race. I hope I have my normal energy restored by that time because there's a lot of challenging hills to face.