Monday, March 10, 2008

Addiction

I almost don't like sharing my running experiences anymore with anyone other than Liz. I'm usually pretty self-deprecating, but how can you be self-deprecating about a 23 mile run up and down a mountain or regular running weeks of 60+ miles. It just comes off as either psychotic or bragging, neither of which are words I want to be associated with. So I'll tell you about this past Saturday's run, but going forward, unless I'm running a race, I probably will no longer write about the mileage and elevation gain of my training runs.

The reason is that I crossed an imaginary line on Saturday. A line that spoke to me as I crossed it and said, "You should go 30 miles next week and go up and down Diablo twice." I didn't even flinch when I heard that voice. In fact, I thought to myself, that sounds like fun. So that most of my friends are able to understand, it's like the leap from marijuana to cocaine. It's a line that you don't think you're ever going to cross and then one day you wake up with your face in a pile of the white stuff and an M-16 lying on your desk. You don't really know why it happened, but man you feel pretty good.

So I'm in virgin running territory and I don't think I'm going to deny this addiction or step back over the line. April 12th is now about to become a 50 mile race (assuming the race director gives me the ok).

I haven't graduated to heroin yet. I don't see a 100 miler any time soon, but I'm not opposed to one in the future. The needle is there. I know it's coming. It's simply how long I can put it off.

5 comments:

liz said...

drug analogies are always best.

Anonymous said...

Run Forest Run

Tri Harder said...

Western States 100 here we come.

It's Not Your Fault! said...

Shock and Aw!

That is how I feel right now. I am neither proud nor ashamed... simply stunned.

Here is a quote, "So that most of my friends are able to understand, it's like the leap from marijuana to cocaine." Who the heck are your friends and where did you meet them? Smiling Pizza? Churrascaria Plataforma? (You know the one in Hell's kitchen all too well apparently) I'll tell you what, when you used that drug reference I said to myself….

Self – California finally broke the one I thought to be unbreakable. Better yet, the one that could never be fouled up by intrigue and habitual gravity. Self – How could VTOLing yield to the machine?

Your blog is one way for your readership to stay connected to the 'Running Man'… and you preface that last post "soon to be deleted or always ignored" by saying this will be one of the last times we read about an element of your running which makes your life worth following?

A post like this does not go away quietly. Oh no…. not silent at all.

Denise said...

I've been thinking about this post for a week now. I love to work out, but 100 miles is something I could never do. Running distances has never been my strength. Really, you amaze me.