as i've been saying, it's been cold every morning and getting progressively colder. i layered like mad for this run. as i'm going down kuebler for the first 4 miles of my run, i began to feel like i made a mistake. although i can see my breathe hover in the air before me, i'm already feeling fairly warm, and i'm going downhill, and it's the very beginning of my run. what will it feel like an hour and half from now going uphill? this was my fear. however, as soon as i crossed the freeway and hit one final descent before a huge chunk of relatively flat land, the air became instantly colder. there where still little pockets time and time again. but for the most part, i was (temperature-wise) comfortable.
i love the fall in oregon before the wind and rains come and strip the trees prematurely of their bright yellows and oranges and reds. this morning particularly with the sun shooting it's rays at those leaves, they seemed even more brilliant. this was just a beautiful morning. everything and everywhere. i felt like i was doing a photo shoot for runners world. there he is going over a misty bridge. there he is along a small creek. there he is surrounded by a line of trees as far as the eye can see. this helped to inspire me.
for a long run, this was an easy run, mentally and physically. for some reason, running for two hours doesn't seem like that big of a deal anymore. a few of the hills at the very end provided some burn in the upper hamstrings, but other than that, my only other concern came when i realized that i had made too big of a loop and ran over my planned time.
there is a chunk on this route after the park and before the bridges that i get to run downtown. i love running downtown. the urban atmosphere suits me. i like not having a specific route. i just run until i hit a red light and then take a turn. eventually i end up at the bridge, but i'm in no rush. i would love to do this in a bigger area than salem. i also like running by the large display windows. this early in the morning the only places that are open are the coffee shops. the other shops are vacant and dark. as i run, i like to look at myself. not in a vain, egotistical way, but because it is the only time that i get to analyze my stride. this was about 11 miles into my run when i passed the first window, as i turned i almost didn't recognize the runner. i have never seen my form like this before. legs at perfect angles, long strides, powerful, arms slightly bent, not too high. above all that, beyond the specifics, i actually, and maybe for the first time that i can remember, looked like a runner.
all in all a very encouraging run. and as if that wasn't enough at about three in the afternoon, i was still on my runner's high.
what a great sport.
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