Murakami on Running

Murakami's memoir on running: On the lit blog. A great rambling, read on running and writing, and living.

Indian Summer

Last week with temperatures in the 70s it was an Indian Summer. Running on trails is fun, but you can't stop and stare an beautiful sight. But for once instead of lacing my trail running shoes, I took a camera and walked through the trails that I love. After a run on a beautiful day, I always swear to myself, that I will be back with a camera. But, I never make it back with a camera.

This was my last chance to capture the beauty of the fall in two of the two greatest trails in Ann Arbor. The brutal and beautiful Nichol's Arboretum and a trail less traveled - the Huron River Trail.

More pics from Fall.

Trail Half Marathon

They said that this Trail Half Marathon would kick your butt! And it sure did! After running a whole bunch of road halfs, I decided to do the non-wimp thing - run on dirt, through forest, and around lakes. (It was actually half wimpy, because some people ran the course twice for the full marathon)

I have been running trails for sometime now. They more fun and easier on your feet than the pounding on the pavement and roads. It was only last month after the ice melted that the trails were safe to run again. Snow on the streets melts, but due to the trees and a lower specific heat, the trails are still icy. A slip can land you in the Huron river!

I wasn't up to the miles for a half and then you train like you were cramming for an exam, I added hills, speedworkouts. After I ran 10 miles on the hills, I knew that at the very least, I would come out of it alive (Never forget that!).

But, hell the race course was tough! The course goes around the famous Potowatomi train in the Pinckney Recreation Area. At no point was the course flat. Either you were going up or down. In total, the course has 7,000 ft of vertical climb. Since the race began and ended at the Silver Lake, you had also 7,000 ft of downhills. While the downhills were welcome, a hasty step would be your downfall, literally. I saw a bunch of people trip and fall. The last thing you want, is to get injured and hobble through miles of forest. That would be a meditative experience in the forest.

Oddly, some miles are shorter and others feel longer. Up and down, then up again. Legs cramp up. Something aches. It goes away. Then after a point you are running from water-stop to water-stop, wondering when the torture will end. And there are people are still in bed somewhere. After a point, your mind shuts down and you are just running. You have no idea where you are, but just following the person in front of you.

But, like all races at the end you are mostly by yourself. At mile 11, I hit a root sticking out of the ground and that was really painful! Nature is beautiful, but you can't be idiotic out in the wild. My shoes have an ID tag, so they know where to deposit my body.

At mile 12, I think I hit my limit! But, who gives up with one mile to go? You calculate that it won't be more than 10 minutes. And then suddenly, you see the finish line. You get a sudden burst of energy to sprint to the finish. The race ends on 100 meters of a grassy flat and that was a relief after the relentless hills. The best part of the race? To ice my legs in the Silver Lake.

Twenty minutes later, it all seems worth it and you find yourself saying something that you would have never thought - "I should do this again!". The harder the race, the sweeter the taste of a finish.

Spring in your step

Officially, spring began yesterday. But, Michigan did not get the news. Just when you thought that the winter was over, it was finished, it comes back once last time with a snowstorm. Yet, the clearest sign that it has gone is that it is getting sunnier. The fabled grey skies are gone. We might have another winter surprise, but spring is finally here.

One of the great joys of this change in season is to be able to run outside. After slipping a number of times on the ice, I didn't thinking running outside in the winter was a great idea. You look forward to escape the forced circles around the indoor track to get a decent amount of miles in. Then there is the treadmill, but then there is no difference between you and your pet hamster.

Last weekend, when it was cheerfully sunny, I decided that it was time to finally hit the trail. No wimpy road-running for me. The Huron River Trail is beautiful. There was still some snow on the trail in isolated lumps. Due to the snow that had melted a few spots were turned into muck. It was a rather fun and muddy experience.

Getting down to a run is simply overcoming inertia. Once I am past that door in my shoes, I have never found cause to regret a run. After a couple of miles in the endorphins kick in and then you don't want to stop. I often wonder if I should take my camera along for these runs to record how beautiful it really is on the trail. I have run this trail a number of times in the summer, but early spring is something else. There is still a nip in the air. The leaves from the autumn are on the ground, dark yellow. The river is icy in spots and doesn't look very inviting for a swim. Puddles form below the tiny waterfalls created by the melting snow.

Running is a solitary activity. Even in a marathon when you run with thousands of people, you are still running your own race and alone. I used to run with music, but I have gotten out of that habit. There are plenty of sounds that you can listen to while running that can keep you entertained. Chief among them, being the sounds in your head. That's another reason you want to run alone, at least sometimes. After a while even that chatter in your head stops and you begin to hear other sounds. The sound of the Canadian goose, the branches breaking under your feet, the sound of another runner in the distance. Your lungs expand to take in the fresh air. Then you begin to take in the smells. There is a concert in progress and it took me so long to be aware of it.

Π Day

Today is Π Day. I should do something to do with math to celebrate the day. For a start, I could calculate how much I need to pay my credit card bill. Or, do something that has nothing to do with math. Something really irrational. Running Π miles wouldn't be a bad idea. I find it an interesting coincidence that running Π miles is like running five kilometers(about 5.055K). So, Π is also the most popular running distance.

Perhaps, I should make this a yearly thing and run Π miles every Π Day to gauge by physical deterioration over time.