Serendipity Saturday

Well, the miles are really starting to pile up now. Forty miles have to be put in between now and Halloween. This past Saturday was a real test of commitment to completing the Hal Higdon marathon training. My Friday night consisted of a pasta dinner with two beers, followed by an early exit to bed. I awoke at 3:45am ready to hit the streets by 4:00. After a quick breakfast I headed out to run fourteen miles. Once I stepped outside and felt the rain, I bailed and quickly headed back to bed. For several hours I laid in bed and told myself, “I’m taking the day off, and I’m NOT going to feel guilty about it.” By about 8:30, that feeling passed, and I headed out to do several laps around the Cooper River at Camden County Park. A quick tangent here: One of the nuggets of advice Hal doles out is this: “To avoid getting in a rut, select a different course rather than simply running the same course you have been using for several weeks. Success in running is often as much mental as physical.” Good point Hal. After running in the Haddonleigh section of Haddon Township for the last few months, I decided to switch it up and started running over to the Cooper River to complete the required mileage. Beyond a change of scenery, the new course offered me the opportunity to run past my parent’s house and discard any additional layer of t-shirt that had become too hot or cumbersome to wear. The only cause for concern I had with running around “The Coop” was due to the fact that while in college, I had spent several summers working as a garbage man in the very same park, and the remembrance of stinking, hot summers from long ago would only add to the difficulty of the ever adding mileage. However, I was pleasantly surprised that laps around The Coop have been quite enjoyable. It’s flat, well lit (important for an early morning run), and there is no need to worry about car traffic. I’m planning on running around Cooper River for the bulk of my remaining training. Saturday was a different story. After running to South Park Drive in an annoying rain, I started my laps around Cooper River. Tired, cold and achy, I convinced myself that if I ran nine miles that’d be close enough, and I could call it a day. That’s when inspiration hit in the form of a nine and a half fingered friend. Once on North Park Drive, I spotted my buddy and fellow D.B.R.C. member Rick Haney banging out his required miles for the day. Rick and I ran together for several miles and were able to chat and catch up a bit before Rick’s shin splints made him slow up. Thanks to Rick’s camaraderie, I found some new energy, and was able to complete the fourteen miles.

This coming Saturday will be the longest run in preparation for the Philadelphia Marathon. I have serious doubts that I’d be able to run 20 miles alone. That’s why I’m excited about heading down to kick 20 miles of Shamong asphalt with Rossi, Rob, Ira & hopefully Rick.

Only 25 days to go. Thanks for reading,

Pat