Its 7 AM on Sunday, and I set out in dense fog for an eleven mile run. The only thing I can hear is the tapping of my running shoes on the damp sidewalk. There are no cars, no people. They're all asleep in their beds. I cross lonely intersections with pointless stoplights. Beyond the railroad tracks I see my first sign of humanity. Three homeless men are playing cards and enjoying their last bit of Saturday night's rum. I finally reach the Rose Garden and note my one mile split. I used to aim for 8-8:15 pace, but now I smile when I see 9:23 on my watch. Ah yes, nice and slow, I'm just warming up. I head towards Valley River wondering if I'll see the regulars. Its cold today, about 42 degrees F. There is a low dense fog that causes condensation to form on my coat. The bike path feels slightly slick from last night's rain. At two miles, I check my pace again. I'm still around 9 minutes- perfect. I won't pick up the pace for another two miles, a promise I made to myself. Around mile 3, I see them. A group of four older men, each carrying their morning caffeine fix, emerge out of the fog. They walk towards me engaged in a conversation that I find myself tilting my head to listen in. What do four men find so gossip worthy on a Sunday morning? I pass them and they nod to me while I wave back. I come to Owosso footbridge and cross. I am now at four miles and twitching to pick up the pace. The iPod that I had tucked in my running pouch comes out and I find my speed mix. Lady Gaga gives my my initial adrenaline rush and I take off. As I'm running, I see a few other runners a head of me. I try to catch each one like its a game. I make my way back to Valley River and check my watch at 6 miles- I've averaged 7:20 pace on the last two miles. I have five more miles to go on this progression run, and so I throw down another throttle. Alton Baker park is quiet this morning, even the geese are nestled in the grass with their heads tucked into their backs. The cobblestone trail is slippery and I have to focus on not over striding. When I reach the Autzen Bridge, I check my watch. I have 2.5 miles left at this point, the distance of the cross-country races I had to run in high school. That's how my mind works when I'm running, always linking one experience to another makes it easier to comprehend and predict a reasonable pace. I check my time and note that if I run the last 2.5 miles at 8:00 pace I will finish my run in my goal time. Today has been a good run! With that last thought in my head, I don't slow down, but I don't speed up. There's no need to push it at this point. I am right where I need to be. I make my way to the EWEB plaza and up towards high street. As I approach my street and slow my pace and get in a bit of a cool down. Everyone is still asleep, so I keep the lonely sidewalk in front of my apartment company by sitting down and stretching. For 10 minutes I focus on hitting every area that just helped carry me for the last eleven miles. Once I feel like Gumby, I run inside to grab a glass of water and then come back out to cool off. I watch the sun force its way through the fog and see its going to be a beautiful Sunday in Eugene.
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