FIRST OFFICIAL HALF MARATHON :)
Ran a Half and Happy Birthday Bowie!
It’s a good day: ran 13.1 today AND it’s Bowie’s Birthday!
This is the second time I’ve ran this distance, and both runs were just on my own. I am currently training for an actual half marathon race coming up soon, and I guess I’m ready, much sooner than I thought! It was stunning outside today, t-shirt and shorts weather in January—heck yeah!
Today is what would’ve been Bowie’s 71st birthday. Two years on this very day, Bowie’s album, the critically acclaimed Blackstar came out. Two days later, he was gone. I’m still in a bit of shock that he is no longer on this earthly plane. He truly is a STARMAN now (not that he wasn’t before).
I am a Bowiephile, and I have my Dad to thank for that. 🙂 Ever since I can remember, Bowie has been on constant play in my parent’s house. No joke, when I was a toddler my mom would put a Bowie VHS tape (90s kid hehe) in the VCR, and I’d watch Bowie music vids while she did things around the house, no babysitter required. My fave Bowie VHS tape (we still have it) is Black Tie, White Noise, his ’93 album. I still love that particular Bowie era: he looks so fine in the “They Say Jump” vid. 🙂
I could dedicate this blog to Bowie’s talent and overall aesthetic (I’m sure plenty of those blogs exist), but let me get back on track here. I just want to say Happy Birthday David. We all miss you. And yes, I did listen to your music during my long run today. I often like to finish the last mile or two listening to “V-2 Schneider:” the bass and saxophone in that song are perfection. As is of course, that final guitar riff at the end, and I often sprint during that piece. So thinking of you today, Dave. Thank you for the memories and for literally being the soundtrack of my life (and all my running).
-LMC
Run Run Run
Yesterday I went on a 10 mile run, my first in a long time, and it was…delicious. Seriously, it was heaven.
I know, I know. For those who absolutely DESPISE running, you think we runners are INSANE. And in truth, we are.
Humans are bizarre creatures. After all, what creature exercises for fun? I remember those XC runners in high school, who proudly wore shirts that proclaimed, “Our sport is your sports’ punishment.” True dat. As a kid, I was never a big fan of running. Niether of my parents are runners, and on field day in elementary school, I was the slowest runner in my class. Every sprint, every relay, I was schooled. The taller, stronger, more athletically inclined kids crossed the finish line long before I had run past the first turn on the course.
I am, and will forever be, a tennis player. It’s the sport I’ve been playing since age 6, and continued all through my adolescence–USTA tournaments, practices, high school and college tennis. It’s only been the past few years that I haven’t been playing as much, but I never set aside my racquet for good. I still love tennis, it’s the sport I first identified with. Running came later–my college years.
I can tell you the exact day I discovered I actually LIKED running. 18 November 2010 was like any college day for me. Go to classes, have lunch before tennis practice. But instead of the usual 2 hr. tennis practice, it was a shorter one as the women’s team had to run 3 miles to raise money for the college tennis teams (our annual Runathon). I had never run 3 miles in my entire life. The days leading to the run, I was very nervous. Thoughts swarmed me: I’m never gonna make it, I’ll have to walk it, I’ll embarrass myself, I CAN’T RUN!
The day of, I told myself to do my best, whatever that meant. The course was city sidewalks in the middle of my small college town. As we all assembled in the parking lot next to the courts, my heart sped up. As our coach called go, we all started running up the first hill. Keep pace with the other girls was my thought, but I immediately realized something: they weren’t running competitively. Nope! They wanted to socialize instead, whereas I found myself wanting to break free of talking and running as a group; I wanted to a) run fast and b) run solely on my own. So I did. Quickening my pace, I soon found myself passing everyone and taking the lead. With my trusty iPod Nano blaring Crystal Castles in my ears, I flew away, rounding corners and speeding across town. I CAN DO THIS! This revelation reverberated through my being. I. CAN. RUN. And I realized I didn’t feel tired at all; my fitness from months of tennis and conditioning had come to fruition. I felt free and was having…fun! Fun while running! What a concept.
The last 3/4 of a mile were a gradual slope, and I flew down the hill at such a pace that a guy standing in front of his house cheered, “Go! Go! Go!” and waved his arms in the air. Encouraged, I sprinted the last quarter mile back to the tennis bubble: first one to finish!
My feet seemed to float as I walked into the tennis lobby, and my face and body felt aglow: my first runner’s high. Who knew running could make you feel soooo good? I was hooked—and for life.
I don’t remember the time I got, just that it was under 30 minutes (the time limit for us). Once the team started finishing, they looked at me in astonishment: “Dang, you were quick!” “I didn’t know you liked to run! Wish I did!” “You took off!” My tennis coach high-fived me: “Well done out there!” Uber-proud and content, I knew I had just discovered a lifelong passion.
~LMC
A Memorable Run and a Day of Tragedy: Reflecting on the Life—and Loss—of Madison Holleran
