Anticipation

I enjoy the anticipation that comes from knowing that I have a run to do later in the day. Throughout the day I will occasionally think about the run and where I am going to run and how far. There’s a feeling inside you that builds.

It reminded me of when I played football in high school. On game days we’d wear our game jersey’s to class and everyone knew you were a football player and you had a game that night. Before the game we’d go into the cold musty locker room and sit on the bench in front of our locker. I’d open my locker and see my equipment just as I left it the day before. The shoulder pads taking the majority of space, sitting vertical because that’s the only way they’d fit in the locker at all. It was a ritual. I’d put on the pads the same way everytime and the anticipation would build. I’d help take the team through stretching drills, individual position drills and then we’d practice a few plays before we headed back in the locker for the coach’s pep talk. Finally, we played the game.

Today, I remember the pregame stuff more than the games themselves. It was the anticipation of something important.

And so it is with running too. I couldn’t run if I didn’t enjoy the anticipation, the run itself and the euphoria after I ran. I plan to run for the rest of my life. Some people say that they just want to do this one marathon and then they’ll stop and that they don’t really like running. I couldn’t do that. There’s not enough in a single event that makes it worthwhile.

But, there is something about knowing that at the end of the year I will have run so many miles and I will have improved my stamina and health. And there’s something about the anticipation of my next run (whether it’s a race or just me).

This week’s running:

Sunday: 4 Miles in the neighborhood at a 12:09 pace. Time, 48:52.
Monday: 5 miles in the neighborhood at a 11:41 pace. Time, 58:55
Tuesday: 2 miles in the neighborhood at a 12:20 pace. Time 24:41. I ran the first mile with my daughter Emily. We finished in 13:30.