After having had time to reflect on my Cedar River Run (henceforth my Seattle 18-miler will be known as the Cedar River Run), I haven’t really been able to rank it in terms of memorable runs. I do this every now and then, to sort out what runs are my most memorable, which ones stand out in my memory as being a great, unforgettable adventure.
I did however force myself to differentiate runs between races and non-races. By nature, races are memorable. They're big occasions, things you train for and put energy into, and those memories just naturally stay with you. It’s a bit unfair to compare a race to a training run in that sense so the races would always win out.
So in terms of non-races, this run then has less competition although to be honest this was always going to be a memorable run, probably top three.
Right now, it’s definitely in my top five. Is it number one? That’s hard to say.
Among the previous memorable runs:
* Running four or five miles at the Parc du Mont-Royal in Montreal.
* Running through a sprawling, tree-lined park in the heart of Mexico City.
* Running across the Glen Canyon Dam in Page, Ariz.
* My first five-mile run, from my house to my mom’s house.
* The first time I ran 10 miles.
I think the first three and the Cedar River Run are in competition for number one
Now, had I tried to compare this to, say my Ragnar legs, my half-marathon or the Mud Runs, that would have been difficult to say where this ranked. But again, those were races I prepared diligently for and memorable for different reasons.
The Cedar River Run, of course, was one I prepared for and really approached like any other run - I'd focused on achieving my goal, determined to see it through. But it wasn't a race, obviously.
I managed to take a few pictures after the run, such as the one I posted on Sunday. I even shot a little video, but not sure if I'm going to post it. Maybe. Not sure.
Anyway, what do you think - do my hands look like wrinkled ape hands?
And this picture actually confirmed my actual finish time of 3 hours, 19 minutes, 21 seconds. When I was close to the finish, I thought about trying to make it a little past 18 miles, maybe like a tenth of a mile longer or not, but the moment The Garmin read 18.00, I shut that thing off and stopped. Screw that extra tenth of a mile.
And my feet, my poor aching feet.
This is back in my hotel room. My feet were sooo cold. I don't remember the last time my feet were that cold. The best thing about this picture is my toenail! It was particularly black. Awesome.
Anyway, compared with regular non-races, just with the conditions and the distance I ran this time around, it’s tough for the Cedar River Run not to be my most memorable run ever.
6 comments:
Yes, your feet look cold! You need to paint that black toenail pink to go with your Loper's shirt!
Boy you've run in some pretty cool places. I'm not sure if I would use the word "awesome" to describe the black toenail. Creepy is more like it.
we have matching black toenails -- i have them on both feet. although i painted the rest of mine black too, 'cuz hubby said it was gross. you have run in some pretty awesome places!
When I was scrolling through my reader, the picture of your hand caught my eye. In thumbnail size, it looks like a bionic arm with a human hand attached. Really, really awesome!
Cool post LB! I'll have to read the other runs on your list!
PS: Thanks for the ideas on the Garmin. There are definitely some things you mentioned that I didn't think about. Thanks!
What awesome accomplishments!
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