“200 meters hard then 200 meters at a medium pace,” our coach said. We had little paper maps in our hands and were studying the route. It wound around thru the shady neighborhood for 600 meters. She had already set out traffic cones beside the curb to mark the 200 meter intervals. “You’ll run 200 […]
Tag Archives: running
Knowing Acorns For What They Are
Sun, 28 Sep 2014, 07:47 PM (-06:00)
We’re standing there in the parking lot. Standing in a circle waiting for the rest of the group to arrive. Waiting for our workout to begin. There was a loud bang and some oblong green thing the size of the tip of your thumb bounced off the trunk of a car and rolled on the […]
That Last Light of Day
Tue, 9 Sep 2014, 07:35 PM (-06:00)
It was hot this afternoon when the sun was up. And running the hills was grueling. My pace couldn’t have been more than a walk on that last climb. But now it was over. The sun had just set behind the hills. A breeze was blowing in the open windows of my car as I […]
Race Weekend 10K
Sun, 8 Jun 2014, 09:47 AM (-06:00)
1. Getting There It was Race Weekend in Ottawa. The 40th. On Saturday, a 2k race and a 5k race and a 10K, too. On Sunday, a half-marathon and the full. We had come for the Lowertown Brewery 10K. Dad and Khadija had dropped us off at our hotel, and at the appointed hour (in […]
Runner In Blue
Sat, 8 Mar 2014, 09:55 PM (-06:00)
They posted the photos online several days after the race. Astronomical prices. Horrible photos. And just who was that runner in blue that they captured, anyway? Lumbering along. Belly hanging out. Plodding steps. Mighty grim look on a tired, sweaty face. Can’t they even capture a decent pose? Certainly he doesn’t look like that when […]
Running Around Town on Rainy Afternoon
Sat, 8 Mar 2014, 06:54 PM (-06:00)
Somewhere around 2.5 miles, I heard thunder. Just a little swishy roll somewhere in the distance. Not long after, I heard it again. More pronounced this time, starting overhead and rolling into the west, ending in a punctuated crash. The clouds over the Hill Country were black. The wind blowing this way. Misty drizzle turned […]
3M Half-Marathon
Sun, 19 Jan 2014, 06:24 PM (-06:00)
1. At the Start It was dark. It was cold. The runners waited until the very last minute to put their warm gear in their bags, but even then they had on ratty, cotton, long-sleeved shirts and caps that they fully intended to jettison after the race was underway. That’s always seemed so wasteful to […]
Measurements In The Dark
Fri, 20 Dec 2013, 01:44 AM (-06:00)
I rounded the far turn thinking how good it felt to be running slowly. There was no sign of the deer now. They must have moved off into the woods. Or greener grass somewhere else. Just a couple laps left. Someone was kneeling in the shadows in the second lane at the end of the […]
Morning Pecan Pie
Tue, 17 Dec 2013, 09:43 PM (-06:00)
On the Saturday after Thanksgiving, our running route ran up the hill on Comal. I was running slowly during those first few miles, since I wasn’t warmed up yet, and since … well since I just run slowly on hills. So people were passing me. Somewhere about a half mile into the route, we came to […]