I love to run but I don't live to run. I like that about myself. This year I have had good runs in Michigan, Pennsylvania, St. Louis, and Austin, Texas - not to mention my home state. I have also had days where I chose not to run while on vacation in these places and it was okay. I don't think I lost any of my "base" or turned to mush or harmed my training. I never regretted not running because there was usually something else I wanted to do that was more meaningful to me. I suppose I could run later in the day but I am only a morning runner.
My most recent vacation involved a trip to Carlisle, Pennsylvania to visit Kseniya and CAJ. Yeah it is the time of year where I should be getting my long runs in for the St. George Marathon in October. Carlisle is a nice college town and I like to run there in the humid climate, past all the beautiful colonial houses and the college, but....it was also nice to drink coffee with Kseniya and CAJ and read the newspaper...there's always tomorrow. I ended up running twice during that visit - once before we left for Michigan and the Kayaking trip and once when we got back. Lewie the dog was happy to go with me and made it more enjoyable. I am used to running with my dog so it is nice to have other dogs when Jackie isn't available.
In Michigan I could have run along the shoreline of Lake Michigan, at my friend Sue's cottage. It would have been beautiful in the sand, with the waves, etc. I woke early to the sound of the lake from my bedroom window and my intentions were good. The lake beckoned me. Drinking coffee with Sue and talking about our wild college days and our current life took priority for that day and I was okay with it - in fact I preferred it. We all ended up walking about 5 miles that day and it was something all of us could enjoy rather than just me sneaking out at 6 am.
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| Sunset on Lake Michigan |
When we got to Munising, Michigan, I could have run along Lake Superior's shoreline. Two different great lake runs in one trip would have been unique. I got up early but decided I didn't want to hurry through a run and then go kayaking. Besides, I had a food hangover from the greasy whitefish sandwich we had at the bar there. Bad sandwich but great beers and company. We did the ten mile kayaking trip and while it wasn't running it was certainly exercise for my puny arms. I also got the mental workout I needed.
Back in Carlisle, I ran with Lewie the dog for about 4 miles. I enjoyed running with him and his enthusiasm way more than I would have enjoyed running by myself at the War College along the track. Running for enjoyment is so much more fun than running for time or distance and it seems to have worked for me through all of my training for the 30 some marathons I have done. I need to run for my brain, but sometimes there are things that I deem to take priority.
From Carlisle, Kseniya and I headed to St. Louis where Billy and Scarlett and Desmond live, and Danny joined us there. Kseniya and I did run the first morning - about 4 miles. Running with my children will always take priority over any kind of "have to" training run. I knew I had a half marathon to do in a week, but I also knew I could do it without doing a long run on my vacation.
I ran about three of the five mornings that I was in St. Louis. On two of them I put Desmond in the jogging stroller and did three miles with him - again, a better way to spend my time than running to the beautiful park by myself near Washington University's campus. Desmond chattered away, made barking noises at dogs, and was really interested in the train that we we stopped to look at. I loved looking around the quiet neighborhood and feeling the humidity in comparison to the dryness of Utah. I even liked sweating and feeling my shirt stick to my back. Everyone smiles at someone pushing a baby so maybe I am adding something good to other people's day.
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| Dan and Kseniya - breakfast in St. Louis |
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| Billy |
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| Des my little running buddy and future 10 K runner |
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| Scarlett cooking up a great breakfast in St. Louis |
Yes, I love to run, but I am not totally defined by it. I need to run for my sanity, but it is not as important as spending lazy mornings with people I love and who love me. I know people who at all costs, would get up early and run their long runs according to a schedule no matter where they are. I am not one of those people. Sometimes I have better things to do. And that's okay by me.
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