Running Out of Time

Hood to Coast is coming up, just a few days away.  I'm feeling confident about it, even though I have a leg that has been described as the "5.75-mile epitome of your grandfather’s walk to school—uphill, both ways—with dusty gravel doing a more than adequate job of standing in for snow."  I've been running Terwilliger on the weekends for the last couple of months so I'm not too worried about it, especially as I will be running that leg at night.  For those of you who don't know, Terwilliger Blvd is a twisty-turny street that starts near downtown Portland and wends it's way up from about 200 ft to over 600 ft in just under 6 miles.  Not quite as steep as my H2C leg but it gives a good approximation and it's the right distance.  And, as I said, I'll be running it at night.

I love night running.  I find it to be very quiet and meditative.  Night runs feel longer, as if time had stopped but also shorter, as if I was running outside of time.  My pace is usually slower, I think because I don't have same visual cues that I would during the day, but I finish the run feeling fantastic and refreshed, despite the fact I've just run several miles.

Both times that I have done Hood to Coast before, I've preferred my night runs.  There's a sense of being all by yourself, in a good way.  During the day, you can't help but notice the people you're running with but at night, the people you pass (or if you are like me, the people who pass you) are merely well-lit shadows, outlined with reflective tape.  Out in the wilderness of Oregon, on the twisty roads of the coastal mountains, they soon disappear around the next turn and you're alone once more, with the night sky, cool air, and possibly a cow munching on hay in the field next to you.  I relish those feelings, I cherish them. 

So, I am excited for Hood to Coast.  I can't wait for it.  I feel like a kid about to go to summer camp.  And the marathon I have coming up?  Well, I'm choosing not to think about it right now.  It's like the first day of school.  I know I'm behind in training for it and I know I'm running out of time. 

That reminds me, I need to go for a run.