Training

The half-marathon training is...going.

I've reached a point where the 4 mile runs are supposed to be the easy ones. Sometimes they are. I surprised myself this weekend by running 5.7 miles continuously, after a week of being sick and not training at all. And this was along Hudson River Park, contending with helicopter landings and tourists and Sunday lollygagging and strong winds.

I'm trying to access the person that was a competitive athlete from ages 7-17 (swimming) but she's buried under years of inactivity and cigarette smoking. Back then, I could train for hours, pushing myself harder and harder. When I raced, something would always...click...and I'd be focused and strong and driving toward the finish line.

Now, I get distracted by tiredness, the slow upward ticking of the distance meter on the treadmill, and the occasional shiny object.

On April 29th, I'm hoping some kind of dormant muscle memory kicks in. Or maybe just that it will be one of those days when the running seems easy, and 13.1 miles pass before I even know it.