jim stone wrote:Obviously it's to be done with reasonable regard for
all involved, and road racing is an extraordinary
experience. Lots of women do it too. I was mostly
racing at shorter distances, 10K; there really is
a sense of stepping outside the ordinary.
I guess some of the best moments of my life
were spent running--I have a photo of myself and
a friend standing at a trail head, we've been running
trails in Colorado. I look like a greyhound.
It can be a positive addiction and I suppose, in some,
a less positive obsession. But gee it can make
you happy. I was never terribly quick but I got
about as fast as untalented people who train
hard can go, and it FELT like I was fast, anyhow.
You may be pleased to know that a legion of
women finished the races ahead of me.
Endorphins--the last legal high!
When I was in grade school, I thought that I was a good runner, as I won a few ribbons for short dashes. However, as I was practicing for the high school cross-country team, it became obvious that my former assessment of my skills had been premature. For a smart person you don't need to come in last place in very many races for you to understand that every person has strengths and weaknesses, and running clearly was not my strong suit.
It is funny, though, because in my dreams I am super-strong. I frequently remember dreams in which I am running over difficult terrain and not getting tired. I like those dreams very much.
When I lived in Arizona, there was a race at the Grand Canyon that was called Rim to Rim to Rim. It makes me exhausted even to try to describe it. Simply put, the runners start at the rim (on the south side, I believe), run to the bottom (5,000 feet of relief) of the canyon and up to the rim on the other side, and then turn around and run back to where they started on the south rim. It is hard for me to understand that people are actually able to do that. I have hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon several times, but usually about half way up I began to have reservations as to whether I was ever going to make it back to the top again. I wouldn't have wanted to suffer the indignity of having to be rescued by a mule at a big expense. I didn't need that photo in my photo album, thank you.
How true. That whole industry is totally whacked.
*sigh*...but that just can't make up for everything else.