Today I ran Kelly Drive. (It's technically Fairmount Park, I think.) I'm a part of my schools running club, and this was the long run location planned for the week. It was the most amazing running experience I've had in Philly so far. There were so many people out, and it was so motivating. I was hoping to run three miles, and I ended up running five. If I could have actually found the mile markers, I would have probably turned around earlier, but I'm glad I didn't. The melting snow, mixed with the salt made it incredibly hard to see the little, barely there, white quarter mile markers.
My favorite part about running outside is the scenery (and the feeling). In Wisconsin, there is no limit to what you can and will see. The routes I ran at home were amazing, and absolutely breathtaking. Exhibit A.
I wasn't expecting the same from Philadelphia. Especially Center City Philly. Skyscrapers, smog, etc.I was totally wrong. I mean totally. I unfortunately didn't have my camera on me during this run (mental note: next time). Exhibit B: Kelly Drive in the summer. (The 8 mile loop has trails on both sides of this river. I ran five miles of it.)
Look at that view! I knew from the beginning that this would be a pretty amazing run because we started near the Rocky steps (a.k.a. Philadelphia Museum of Art). I had no idea on the way back I'd be staring straight at the Philly skyline the entire way. Not to mention that the river I was running next to is infamous for their crew teams (Boathouse Row), so there were a lot of teams practicing on the river this morning.I'm starting to fall in love with this city more and more every day. I did a pretty amazing job of picking an optometry school location, must say.
Oh, and did I mention that the number one reason I fell in love with running happened again this morning? I didn't? Oh dear...let me explain. Breathing. Yes, breathing. It's such a simple thing, and we all take it for granted. But it is also the most wonderful thing when you are actually aware of it. When I start running distance (I don't mean two miles, I mean 5-25) I get in the zone. I'm sure you've all heard people say that, but "the zone" is different for everyone in everything. To me, my zone is when I am no longer breathing heavy. When I've become completely aware of how relaxed I am while running. Running multiple miles. The feeling you get when it happens is indescribable. It doesn't happen to everyone, and I'm positive the only reason I can actually be relaxed and breathe slowly while running is because I've trained myself for very long distance, and you can't huff and puff for miles and miles. If you can do it, it's unbelievable.
Speaking of running. Thanks to the boy, my interest in barefoot running has been peaked. I've decided I wanted to try it, so I ran in my socks only for three miles this week. It felt amazing. I can't believe what I've been missing. There is absolutely no need for shoes, at all. The next day, however, I realized that I can't just jump into it.
I was working some muscle in my calf that I'm convinced has never received nerve impulses before because my calves were so sore. Standing, just standing felt like I was stretching my calf way past it's comfort zone. I decided I should probably get some real help on the subject, and went to the local running store. I knew my overall long-term goal was to get Vibram's FiveFingers (basically a glove, but for your foot so when you run barefoot you don't step on glass and slash your foot up), but I needed to ease into it first.
Going from cushy, comfy shoes to nothing, wouldn't have been a smart idea, and that was illustrated by my calves hatred of me the day after I tried it. I did some research before I went in, however, and I decided I should go for the next best thing. Running shoes with absolutely no support. I've decided on the Nike free run. I'm going to purchase them tomorrow.
Because of today's success stories, I decided to sign up for the Five Mile Frostbite Run which is next Saturday.
Happy {almost} Valentine's Day!
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