The Journey – 251.2 Miles:
Today’s leg of the A2B Journey coasted downhill into the Quail Basin area of the Mojave National Preserve. The total descent was about 1,300 feet. This part of Kelbaker Road provides excellent views of Silver Peak, about 5 miles to the east.
The Run:
I enjoy weekend runs. I can take my time stretching and warming up. Warming up includes 5-10 minutes of slow jogging. When I do this, I can start my official run with long full strides. My breathing and heart rate is already at a higher level. So they adapt more quickly to my current ‘normal’ pace.
I spent most of today’s run enjoying the sun and scenery. There was a point mid-way through where I hit a small wall. So, I needed to monitor and manage my body. Taking a few minutes to listen to the continuous stream of internal feedback, I made sure I was staying hydrated. After checking my energy reserves, I decided to maintain the current pace rather than back off a little. After a few minutes, I finally broke through the wall and got my second wind. At that point, I decided to up my pace a bit. I was able to keep that pace for the remainder of the run. During the last mile, I focused on lengthening my stride as much as possible. It was a great end to a great Saturday run!
The Mind:
Being able to start the run warm, I was able to dissociate from the run itself during the first few miles. I thought about my children. Last Thursday, I put my two youngest on the plane to Montana where they live with their mom. Life with my kids over the past five weeks was fast-lived. For example, it occurred to me that from May 31st to July 5th, I drove over 6,000 miles.
I loved my time with them. For me, it was the most wonderful time!
When they leave, the adjustment for me is hard. I usually distract myself with tremendous amounts of work. I can leverage that because there is plenty of work to do! When I look at the many facets of my life, there are mountains of work in each and every area.
Also, now is the time to start planning and preparing for visits to Georgia to see my oldest two children and for Christmas! So part of the run was dedicated to brainstorming all of the options of new memories to make with my kids.