A confession

On Saturday, Zdenek and I ran what will hopefully be the most difficult run of our training plan: 22 miles at sub-8 min/mile. This took approximately three hours out of our weekend morning (going into the early afternoon), and constituted four loops of the Park. This (very) long run gave me opportunity to consider just how funny a running couple Zdenek and I have become: We don't listen to music, but yet we rarely make conversation. We just stick to our pace, watch the road ahead, and run side by side -- in silence.

Or at least, we're usually silent. One other thing I've noticed, and which I must confess, is that when I run with Zdenek day in and day out, I tend to complain during the run a lot. (I know that any one of my friends reading this is bound to say, “Jodi -- complain? Not our Jodi! She never complains about anything!”) But it's true. I confess. I complain that I'm tired. My legs hurt. It's hard to breathe. My feet hurt. It's too windy. It's too hot. It's too rainy. It's too sunny. There are too many people in the Park. The Park is too deserted. I'm tired!

In the past, I’ve always been on my own -- no one was along for the run to listen to me whine about my tired legs or to hear my heavy breathing. I felt like a champion for just getting out there and running 5 or 8 or 22 miles all by myself, and by the time I returned home, it was satisfying to just exclaim, “Boy, that was hard!” and leave it at that. But this year, despite the fact that my times are pretty consistent from one year ago, every run just feels so much harder.

I’m not sure why this is. Do I prefer to be a solitary runner? It’s possible, but I know I love the company on hill repeats and intervals. Can I not stand running with someone who’s just slightly out of my league on every single run? There could be some truth in this. Does running with Zdenek remind me too much that cycling season is just around the corner, and so I can’t concentrate on the task at hand? Definitely maybe. Do I just love the opportunity for a good whine session, whenever, wherever? Hmmmm.....

Whatever it is, I don’t think I’ll have to worry about it too much longer. Zdenek says time and time again that we’re crazy for doing this and that he really just prefers a solid 7-10 miles a few times a week, though he seems to be enjoy the training if only to prove to himself he can do it. As for me, running must now compete for my affections with cycling and, lately, swimming. After the marathon, I don't imagine I'll be running too much. Indeed, come May 3, I’ll have to find something new to complain about. I'm sure I'll manage.