Sort of a long day at work today, so it was good that I'd decided to forget how grim my last run home experience was and try again. This time, I chose the run/bus/run route, from the office in downtown Bellevue to the last bus stop on the 520 bridge, across the bridge, then through the UW Arboretum home. I carried the pack, laptop, wallet, phone and a raincoat, because it was pouring rain when I started and I figured it could come in handy.
WAY better experience. It's a total of 5.6 miles, 3.26 to the bus stop and the rest to the house. Also, a lot fewer hills then running across Mercer Island, which makes a huge difference. This time, I was about as fast on the flats as I am when I'm not carrying something, and the run to the bus stop is mostly flat -- one or two small-ish hills. I paid more attention to my heart rate on the hills this time, and was astounded at how much it jumped when I went up the hills carrying the pack -- my moderate run rate is about 155, and my max is about 182. Going up a short but steep hill carrying my pack pushed my heart to 172, a rate I normally don't see unless I'm racing. Wow. Note to self: don't gain weight.
Sprinted up to the bus just as it pulled up, so no wait there, and the bus took one Tom Petty song to cross the water, so just enough time to catch my breath before the final push home. No bonking this time, either.
I love running in the wind and rain, and there was both of those tonight. There is just something elemental about exercising in bad weather. I didn't wear the coat, so could feel the rain and wind as they came in gusts. It's an exercise of will as much as an exercise of body -- the will to get out in the rain when it's cold, the will to splash through the puddles, the will to push just a bit harder when the wind hits. Carrying the pack helps, too -- strapping it on and starting the run reminded me of my time in the Marine Corps, and I thought about that today as I ran, remembering the boots and utes runs in Virginia and North Carolina, as well as the runs in Southern thunderstorms, which is something not to be missed. I figure having a physical connection to a time 20 plus years ago when I was younger and faster than I am now isn't a bad thing, come to think of it. But I draw the line at running in boots, I'm pretty sure my knees would object a bit. :)
For me, the other benefit of running is the physical reminder of the work it takes to reach a goal. No shortcuts, no magic bullets, no easy fixes. You start the run, you work the run, you finish the run, you do it again the next day. And it's fun, or should be. And it's more fun to run with people you like. And there are bad days, when none of the above apply.
Work is like that too, by the way. ;)