Saturday, May 16, 2009

Grocery Running

I may have blown my shape for being competitive in long distance races this season, but wow, am I ever in good shape for grocery runs. This training cycle, which is to say, the last 14 months of high mileage, may have broken me down to the point of being unfit to race, but it did not break my grocery running spirit. 

I learned a lot about my human limits over the last 14 months. I was beginning to think that I was one of those physiologically perfect specimens who would go on to pound out 5000-6000 miles a year for 40 years without injury. Of course, I never really thought it quite like that - only in hindsight do I now see the direction which I was heading - but without question I was walking the fine line of hubris and humanness. Thank goodness the Lord has given me new eyes and a new heart to see the truth. Though I have blown my chances to run any PR races this season, I am rediscovering and in some cases, discovering for the first time, great joys and the underlying, pervasive nature of that joy in everything - even running. Thank the Lord for this transformation. Too, I will be able to return stronger, more focused and better balanced next training cycle (and I do mean cycle - a short, temporary rise in focused mileage for the express purpose of racing). But back to grocery running...

I am in great shape for it. Yesterday, I had a wonderfully fun 8 mile grocery run. I weaved my way through the streets of Great Falls for 7 miles or so, before arriving at Vans IGA to pick up some much needed and missing staples of nourishment. It felt great, again, to run the remaining mile home with a half gallon of milk in one hand and a couple of boxes of cereal in the other. Presently, this is my fitness benchmark; for the next few months I will be running for enjoyment and running only insofar as it maintains my fitness for grocery collecting. As silly as I probably look running with food, sometimes wine, sometimes milk, it is an efficient and, for me, a practical method of grocery shopping. 

Have a great weekend.

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