Forums >General Running>A "perfect" run...
Michelle
You don't have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great.
Running the 2016 Boston Marathon for Children's Hospital
Runners run
"You can't have everything. Where would you put it?" - Steven Wright
rectumdamnnearkilledem
Getting the wind knocked out of you is the only way to
remind your lungs how much they like the taste of air.
~ Sarah Kay
Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the number of moments that take our breath away...(unkown) • Go With The Flow • Thyroid Support Group
I had my first ever 'perfect run' on MOnday - I nearly posted about it but was too shy but this must be a sign! I was down for an easy 6k, and I thought I would take it easier than normal, my easy runs are guilty of being too fast and I end up always trying to beat my time! The weather was low 50s, there was a slight drizzle to start with, I trotted off on my usual route slower than normal. Did the first 2k in 15 mins, instead of the normal 13. Saw someone with a tshirt on from a race that I had done and we smiled and said hi and for the first time ever I actually felt like a proper runner!!! Started dwelling on how far I'd come since the start of the year and unintentionally speeded up to do the 3rd k in 6 minutes and I still felt great!!! Reminded myself it was an easy run and slowed down again and just enjoyed the feeling of feeling fit. I have struggled so much this year with being so overweight and trying to run and it was just so nice to run and feel great! Finished in 42:26 with a big grin on my face! Perfect!
Sorry, not sure how I missed this post! That really DID sound like a great run! See what a good report from the doctor will do for you! I think that running at night really heightens the senses, and puts you more in tune with your body and what is going on around you. I also think that running is a great way to go sightseeing, if you take the time to notice things. I live 14 miles away from where I work, and have probably driven the route 1000's of times. A couple of years ago, I started running to work occasionally, and started noticing things that I never have even after years of speeding by in a car. Great run, thanks for sharing! I hope you have many more!
I missed this yesterday. Isn't that amazing? You know exactly what is meant by the term "runner's high". I had my perfect run last Monday. Been trying to get back into running for just over a year now, and that day's run came out of nowhere. I wasn't even going to run. Had CPA review class from 6-9pm and there was still plenty of light when class got out. I overslept that morning and missed my run, but still had everything packed in the car. I thought, why not? I knew right away something was different. From the very first few steps, it felt like I was floating...literally, like my feet were not even touching the ground. I've tried to run more mature lately, so I kept it under control for a while. But after 20 min or so, it was relentless and I had to tap into it. It was getting darker out, but there were still a lot of people around campus. I was getting the usual heckles for running shirtless in short-shorts, but it was like fuel. The pace kept getting faster and faster and after about 15 min of gradual acceleration, I was in disbelief at how fast I was moving, but that it was requiring zero effort. At that point, I just kept pushing to see how fast I could go, and I was very nearly sprinting over the last couple minutes and still could not make myself hurt. I've had maybe 3 runs like that in all the years I've run, dating back to 1992. Purely magical and I don't expect another one like that for a very long time.
Nice. I read this yesterday and just left it be because it didn't need a response. Gotta love those perfect runs. The ones that bring you back. This is one of those things you can't fully explain to non-runners. I remember one time coming up my hill from a run and as I was walking up my driveway, started chatting with my next door neighbor. This was when I was training for a marathon a few years ago. My neighbor, Mary, asked me how I stayed so focused on one event for so long during my training. I said, "Most days I didn't think about the marathon. I just think about a cool, fall day." Her eyes kind of glazed over so I went on. I said, "If you're a runner, then every once in a while you're blessed with one of THOSE runs--the one that brings you back. For me it's a cool fall day when I'm super fit and just out for a nice easy 10 miler and somewhere along the road as I'm gliding along it comes over me...that thing, that zone, that...moment. When you realize that for a while now you haven't even been running, you've been floating and that you're absolutely flying. And you've been completely in your own world, your own universe. And as you cruise effortlessly over the top of a small hill, the sound of your feet crunching leaves the only evidence that you're actually touching planet earth with each stride, and as you crest that hill and the wind hits you in the face and almost takes your breath away and makes your eyes water you realize suddenly that there is a God and that this is exactly what he wants you to be doing, right at this very moment, and right on this very stretch of road." "Wow," Mary said. "Yeah." And I went inside and took a shower.
mikeymike, I'm fairly new to the forums and was going to wax poetic... but I can't touch that. You said it all.
I have nothing to add...other than the fact that I'm overdue for a run like that and I think once the heatwave breaks that there will be much greater likelihood of having one again. k
great descriptions of what keeps us going out there day after day well said everyone.
Ah...yeah, I've had a few runs like that. My all time favorite run was a 5 mile HARD. I swear, everything was just in sync. The weather wasn't too hot, too cold, the sun was actually my friend that day. (Unlike today when it tried to kill me..2:30 practices) Each mile was within a second or two of the last and my 5th was fastest of all. So far, it's the only time I've achieved a runner's high. Sundays in the Summer of 2005 were awesome too. I ran at about 8PM and just went with it. No pressure from coaches or teammates...just me, by myself, running a not too fast, not too slow pace. Good memories...and glad to hear about your perfect run!!