Monday, April 19, 2010

Marathon Monday

For those of you not in Boston,  today is the Boston Marathon,  which in Boston is a really big deal.
For one thing is a slightly dubious local holiday "Patriot's Day"  The day isn't dubious, it celebrates Paul Revere's ride and the battles of Concord and Lexington.  But most people in the private sector don't get it off.

People try not to drive as much as possible too, because the marathon route creates a giant kink in the traffic flow in the SW quadrant of the city for most of the day,  so between that and the "holiday"  it was very pleasantly low-traffic on my ride in this morning.

More than any other city's marathon I've experienced,  there are signs and banners and runner specific advertisements all over, such that it feels like a very civic event.  My favorite ad was a cab-topper that said "most people won't even drive 26.2 miles today"

A confession- before I was a biker, I was a runner, and on days like today I sure do miss it.
Biking is great, don't get me wrong, but it doesn't leave me the same kind of tired, relaxed and happy that long-distance running did (even when I do long rides).

While training for my 4th marathon three years ago I developed a case of bursitis that left me unable to walk. Seriously- I needed a cane for a week. The doctors couldn't really find out what was wrong, although they think I had a stress fracture in  my hip.  And I've really not been able to run more than a mile or so since.

Lately though I've been reading all the hype about barefoot running and am thinking I should give that a try to see if I can do it without pain.  Because while I love biking, and it is a great way for me to combine the exercise that keeps me sane with the errands I have to do anyway,  it just isn't the same...

4 comments:

  1. I understand you completely Many moons ago, I used to run. No matter what I've done since, even when I rowed competitively, I don't get the same buzz I got from running.

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  2. I really enjoy cycling but running is my favorite tyoe of exercise.There's nothing like going out for a run to clear my mind and to energize me :)

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  3. I'm trying to get back into running and understand what you mean about the wonderful, exhausting relaxation of long distance running. Running at high elevation is totally different for me than running at 800 ft. Here is Flagstaff it requires a level of concentration that makes zoning out impossible for me. I hope I can find that happy place again.

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  4. I hesitate to admit to this even with the anonymity of the internet to protect me, but...I run barefoot.
    I ran in college(track and cross country) and while I never really liked running that much I LOVE racing(I think I would have REALLY liked winning but never got to find out). Anyway, epic shinsplints and ankle pain convinced me to stay true to the bike. But then I turned 40 and started to get spherical, I started running again,2 or 3 miles 3 times a week and it worked...except the pain came back and a zillion dollars worth of shoes never seemed to help. A friend mentioned in passing that nobody ran in shoes for thousands of years and now we cripple ourselves if we don't find the perfect pair...Ding!
    I'm not running lots of miles,and I'm not as fast as I used to be(and probably never was)but it doesn't hurt anymore. At all. Who knowas, it might work.
    spindizzy

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