October Recap

The Greenway...

The numbers:
     -Miles: 219.5
     -Hours: 32h 57min

Well, October has come and gone—almost a week ago, in fact. Hello, November.

For some mysterious reason, it seems to me that the months get in a hurry after September, each one picking up the pace in the lead up to Christmas before taking a walk break after the New Year with the double-month (also known as January).

Maybe it's daylight savings time? Maybe it's the byproduct of the daily uncertainty that living on the edge of winter brings, unsure if the next step will be the last one before the plunge? Maybe I'm just getting older and my brain feels an increasing need for memory selectivity as available hard-drive space fills up?

Hard to say, but running this past month has not been unaffected by this mysterious time-warp. Other than the Fight the Fire 5k on the 1st (easily 1st place in the memorable October outings age group; in fact, I think I'll just go read through that Race Report again...), the rest of the month feels like one long long-run—each outing drifting into the start of the next. In this way, October running has felt like a barely discernible river current under the canoe of life, or like the steady chirping of crickets in the background of nighttime dreaming.

Nevertheless, even under this spell of sorts, October has been the scene of the best running in my Minneapolis memory. In addition to competing in my first official race in Minnesota, I also stumbled upon a new 1/2-mile trail loop down by the Mississippi that provides some opportunity for variety (even speed-work). I've increased weekly mileage up to ~55mi and the long run to 12mi, both without injury (the bigger goal). All this against the backdrop of autumn at its peak: the smell of the trees, the changing of the colors, the falling of the leaves, the covering of the trails. It's almost too good to be true. It's in the midst of months like October where I find myself entertaining thoughts like, "Maybe we'll miss winter this year?!"

But even with these joys, part of me wonders if October's timelessness is due in part to training without concrete goals in mind. The up-side to training without finish lines is obvious:

• no pressure to perform, to peak at a certain fitness level at a certain time
• lots of schedule freedoms and flexibility
• a freer mind to linger in its own crevices, the ones that get stepped over when there's something to do
• more impromptu adventures with Ashley!

This is running in its most enjoyable form—running just because. If one can't live here, significant delights go untasted, I think.

Yet, even so, my mind still has questions like, "Where are we going? Casual exploration is great and all, but is there another story too—one with more danger and risk?"

All that to say, stay tuned. I aim locate a few finish lines in November. I'm afraid persevering through the winter months will prove impossible without them.

In the meantime, this: