50 Minutes, Free

A few years ago, when I was studying abroad, I was very serious about my running for several months. I even had this little journal that I kept up with all my runs and workouts and whatnot. The other day, I flipped that journal open and saw an entry that said:

"70 minutes, Free"

And I thought, "How poetic of me...that instead of saying '70 minute run' or '7 miles running,' to me it felt like 70 minutes free!"

Then I flipped to the next page: "20 minutes, Free." And the next: "40 minutes, Free."

And I thought, "Hmm...running must have really given me wings that week."

Turning back to the book, I found the next entry: "50 minutes, Wave Rider." Then I remembered that I took two pairs of running shoes with me abroad: my Nike Frees and my Mizuno Waveriders.

So "Free" was actually referring to this:

Oh well. The thing is though, running 5 miles around the edge of town, hot and sticky, actually makes me feel free. As long as I'm not dodging trucks or dogs.

(By the way: Wearing Nike Frees when you are training for a marathon is NOT a bright idea. They were these fad, super-light shoes that were supposed to build your feet muscles while you ran. I LOVED running in them...sometimes even without socks! But they eventually led an overuse knee injury because I didn't have enough support for my feet. Lesson learned.)