Wednesday, July 18, 2007

Feelin' like a real runner again...

...the pouring rain will do that to you! When I drove to the Y to meet up with Suzie and the gang, I had already convinced myself I was just going to run on the dreadmill. I thought everyone would agree. What was I thinking?! They were all revved up and ready to run outside. So, of course, I couldn't be the wimp who doesn't run in Oregon when it rains :-) and I headed out with them. It was a great 5 mile run. My body and heart were in sync and I felt strong. So, thanks guys, for pushing me. Even though I meet up with you and essentially run by myself, knowing you are there helps motivate me.

So, girls, let's write about our craziest runs. For mine, read Suzie's account of the Green River Marathon. It was June of 2006 and she writes about it on this site.

8 comments:

Chelle said...

I remember visiting this site many moons ago, before I was a bonafide blogger myself. When I didn't have my own blog, I always felt weird about commenting--- some random anonymous person. But I was blown away by that running adventure of yours.

Here is mine (it happened in Oregon). Aside from all of the insane runs that I took in pouring rain, this story is a stand-out unique running experience.

We made wonderful friends in Oregon through church. And in one of the many families that we bonded with, the husband was an avid runner. He is in his fifties-- so not quite a father figure, but sort of. He is a true blue good guy.

Well, it was almost time for our family to move away and this family friend arranged a running group to take us on this amazing run back in the country right outside of Salem. He called it the "secret forest" and I had to swear I'd never disclose the location-- ha ha.

So the morning of the run, this friend comes and picks me up. I was assuming there would be a van full of people in the car, but it was just him! Now before I have you in suspense for too long, NOTHING bad or creepy happened!! But can you imagine?!? It turns out that everyone else had bailed on the run for one reason or another.

I was really digging deep for a gut feeling, one way or the other, whether this was a bad situation. But I knew this guy and had NEVER gotten that vibe from him--- so I hopped in the van, and off we went! Can you stand it? As much as I knew he was just a wonderful friend to us, it felt SO weird to go running alone with a man-- especially to a secret forest. But I have to say, it was one of the most beautiful runs I've ever been on. It really was a magical place out there. I was blown away by the beauty. And he was really good about keeping conversation minimal so that I could just have that experience. Sorry I can't tell you where it is, ladies.

Then I had to return home and tell my husband about my running date. hee hee. Boy was he ticked. OF COURSE I'm only kidding. : ) We had a good laugh about the whole situation.

So that by far is my most unique running adventure. It is a first and last adventure of that sort, for sure!

cherl said...

Wow, Chelle! I'm glad that all worked out just fine, but it does sound really weird.

BTW, I never in a million years would have correctly guessed the pronunciation of your name. I figured it was short for Michelle.

cherl said...

M&M- I love running in the rain! I'll have to think about my craziest run since one doesn't immediately spring to mind.

However, one of my most embarrassing (revealing!) runs does come to mind...

While training for Napa last winter, I was out one Saturday morning running an 18 miler that took me all over the city. There weren't many people out that early in the morning, but I received smiles and nods from people I passed. I was no less than 14 or 15 miles into my run when I happened to pass by a storefront and caught a glimpse of myself... I'm not a large woman up top and it wasn't overly cold out, yet there they were poking straight out. I ALWAYS run with two sportsbras now. The final 3 or 4 miles to my house were extremely long as I was totally self-conscious the entire way. SO embarrassing!

Chelle said...

Cherl, that is hilarious. Thanks for sharing. What a treat for all the passers by. hee.

And, oh man, I hope I communicated in my story how non-creepy this all really was. That's the risk you take when writing something rather than telling the story in person. You'd have to know this guy-- how decent and heart-o-gold he is to know why I'd decide to go on the run. It was all for the love of running. : )

I have a friend who pooped her pants while running a marathon. Really. Let's all take a moment of gratitude that our stories are not that extreme!

Kelly(M&M) said...

I always thought running with a man would be weird but my running partner when I was training for Newport was a good friend of ours. Suzie and I were "Marathon Mommies and Ted." Ted was/is a great running partner. I think it is very different running than just going out to lunch or something like that. Still, I can see why you would be nervous at first.
Cherl- Your story was hilarious! If I am self conscious at all, it makes for a horrible run. I don't want to be wondering what people are thinking about, so I leave as much to the imagination as possible. I wish I had the "guns" to wear tank tops and feel comfortable, but I don't so I just have to deal with being overly heated when I run.

Suzie Petunia said...

Oh, I have a good one. M&M and I were out for a long run and ended up farther from our starting location than we had originally anticipated... when suddenly... that's right, I HAD to use a bathroom and it was no joke. I really was about to poo in my pants and we were about 6 miles from home in the early morning! I was desperate. We ran to the first neighborhood we could find. It happened to be the neighborhood where my sister-in-law lives, but her house was about 4 blocks away and I COULD NOT make it that far! So we ran to the first house in the neighborhood and I knocked on a complete stranger's door at 7 in the morning. After what seemed like forever an older guy came to the door and I couldn't explain clearly or fast enough what my "emergency" was. Finally M&M blurted: "She needs to use your bathroom!!" Bless his heart, he let these 2 strange, sweaty ladies into his home. I still feel bad that M&M had to make small talk in that awkward situation while I did my business. Poor girl! We walked the 4 blocks to my sister-in-law's house and she drove us home. I felt S-T-U-P-I-D, but I knew it was a "run" I would never forget!

Suzie Petunia said...

So, Chelle - how DO you pronounce you name?

Chelle said...

SuzieP, I am tempted to take your comment and make it into it's own post. That story is just too good to be buried all the way down in commnet-land. : )