I was running...in IC
Tonight I ran for the first time since returning to IC. Compared to running in HB, it was different.
Since my route in and around the housing tract by the Bolsa Chica wetlands was totally flat, I’m a little leery of running the hilly (by comparison, at least) neighborhoods on the east side of IC. I know all too well what too many hills too soon can do to you (Achilles tendonitis), so my plan was to start easy by running laps around the level track at Bates Field and then gradually, after a time, venture out of the stadium and into neighborhoods after warming up. However, the track at Bates Field is closed due to the reconstruction of the home stands. Basically, I was running neighborhoods or not running at all, and tonight I decided to run. I have to start sometime, don’t I?
Confession: except for the first tentative runs I made in late-2005, I have never run neighborhoods in IC. I always preferred the level and mostly solitary comforts of Bates. (There were sometimes other runners there, but I often had the track all to myself.) Sure, at Bates I ran what seemed like an endless and boring circle, but at least I wasn’t going to shred my Achilles or get shot with paintballs by spoiled, rich high school jocks. (That’s a little IC inside joke. And, to tell you the truth, I’m surprised I was never shot with paintballs in Huntington.)
Part of it also has to do with the fact I don’t know the east side very well. I grew up on the south side, and, although my parents moved six years ago, I still don’t know the back streets, topography, or shortcuts like I did where I was raised. I know the major streets of the east side, but not the in between residential drives. However, if I am going to start running in IC I need to overcome that unfamiliarity hurdle. Before running tonight, I took a quick tour to scope out an ideal starting route (“So that’s Mount Vernon!”) and settled on a little jaunt down Rochester to Scott and Washington. It was just a little mile and a half run (according to MapMyRun.com) to shake off the rust.
It was…different. It may have been too much at first, too.
First: after walking up First Avenue and around the corner, I started the run at a faster than normal pace after passing the Rochester entrance to Drug Town. (I know it’s not Drug Town, but those Hy-Vee Drug Stores will forever be known as Drug Town’s to me.) I don’t know if it was because I was well rested or because of the concrete of the sidewalk (I always started running on asphalt in HB). It was a bad pace to begin with.
Second: despite looking relatively level, Rochester has a few very subtle inclines. They’re not much at all, but they are more than what I’m used to. I could feel the gentle upslope in my thighs and calves, and I needed to downshift into a lower, slower gear. I’m not used to doing that.
Third: there was a long stretch along Rochester without a paved sidewalk so I needed to follow a path cut bare by bicycles. Running on grass and dirt is much better than running on concrete, but I was worried about venturing off the narrow path and stepping into a small hole and twisting my ankle. Plus, there was mud. Yes, mud. Mud is only a winter phenomenon in SoCal, so I was both shocked and relieved to see wet dirt flanking the bike path. I didn’t want it on my shoes, though, and I didn’t want to slip.
When I stopped, I “cooled down” by walking home via Washington Street, which is (and I always knew this) very hilly. Not a good idea.
My first run back in IC was both hairy and adventurous, but that’s something I will have to get used to as I regain my pre-Wheel of Crotch Misfortune distance and endurance in the east side neighborhoods. I stopped twice to walk for a minute (I had to revert back to the run-walk method, which is OK) and look around. I’ve only seen this part of town from a car going 35 mph, so the neighborhoods looked different up close. For instance, there’s one old farmhouse on Rochester with a really crude, and insanely steep, wheelchair ramp leading to the front door. I’m sure I’ll see more quirks during these first few running adventures.
What it boils down to is this: I’ve been very spoiled for the past three years and now it’s time to really run.
Attack those hills, bitch!
Since my route in and around the housing tract by the Bolsa Chica wetlands was totally flat, I’m a little leery of running the hilly (by comparison, at least) neighborhoods on the east side of IC. I know all too well what too many hills too soon can do to you (Achilles tendonitis), so my plan was to start easy by running laps around the level track at Bates Field and then gradually, after a time, venture out of the stadium and into neighborhoods after warming up. However, the track at Bates Field is closed due to the reconstruction of the home stands. Basically, I was running neighborhoods or not running at all, and tonight I decided to run. I have to start sometime, don’t I?
Confession: except for the first tentative runs I made in late-2005, I have never run neighborhoods in IC. I always preferred the level and mostly solitary comforts of Bates. (There were sometimes other runners there, but I often had the track all to myself.) Sure, at Bates I ran what seemed like an endless and boring circle, but at least I wasn’t going to shred my Achilles or get shot with paintballs by spoiled, rich high school jocks. (That’s a little IC inside joke. And, to tell you the truth, I’m surprised I was never shot with paintballs in Huntington.)
Part of it also has to do with the fact I don’t know the east side very well. I grew up on the south side, and, although my parents moved six years ago, I still don’t know the back streets, topography, or shortcuts like I did where I was raised. I know the major streets of the east side, but not the in between residential drives. However, if I am going to start running in IC I need to overcome that unfamiliarity hurdle. Before running tonight, I took a quick tour to scope out an ideal starting route (“So that’s Mount Vernon!”) and settled on a little jaunt down Rochester to Scott and Washington. It was just a little mile and a half run (according to MapMyRun.com) to shake off the rust.
It was…different. It may have been too much at first, too.
First: after walking up First Avenue and around the corner, I started the run at a faster than normal pace after passing the Rochester entrance to Drug Town. (I know it’s not Drug Town, but those Hy-Vee Drug Stores will forever be known as Drug Town’s to me.) I don’t know if it was because I was well rested or because of the concrete of the sidewalk (I always started running on asphalt in HB). It was a bad pace to begin with.
Second: despite looking relatively level, Rochester has a few very subtle inclines. They’re not much at all, but they are more than what I’m used to. I could feel the gentle upslope in my thighs and calves, and I needed to downshift into a lower, slower gear. I’m not used to doing that.
Third: there was a long stretch along Rochester without a paved sidewalk so I needed to follow a path cut bare by bicycles. Running on grass and dirt is much better than running on concrete, but I was worried about venturing off the narrow path and stepping into a small hole and twisting my ankle. Plus, there was mud. Yes, mud. Mud is only a winter phenomenon in SoCal, so I was both shocked and relieved to see wet dirt flanking the bike path. I didn’t want it on my shoes, though, and I didn’t want to slip.
When I stopped, I “cooled down” by walking home via Washington Street, which is (and I always knew this) very hilly. Not a good idea.
My first run back in IC was both hairy and adventurous, but that’s something I will have to get used to as I regain my pre-Wheel of Crotch Misfortune distance and endurance in the east side neighborhoods. I stopped twice to walk for a minute (I had to revert back to the run-walk method, which is OK) and look around. I’ve only seen this part of town from a car going 35 mph, so the neighborhoods looked different up close. For instance, there’s one old farmhouse on Rochester with a really crude, and insanely steep, wheelchair ramp leading to the front door. I’m sure I’ll see more quirks during these first few running adventures.
What it boils down to is this: I’ve been very spoiled for the past three years and now it’s time to really run.
Attack those hills, bitch!
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