I love those first few semi-cool mornings when there is a break
from the summer heat and I feel a small reassurance that the seasons will
indeed change and the oppressive heat will eventually be replaced by lower
temperatures and autumn leaves.
With the same warm, fuzzy feelings that a kid has about Christmas, when
I think of fall approaching I have visions of jeans, boots, beer, and my
favorite spectator sport: Football.
Growing up in Eastern North Carolina in a family full of
die-hard ECU Pirate fans, I remember fall being synonymous with football
season. As a little girl, I used
to love the excitement of waking up on Saturday mornings in October and coming
downstairs to find my dad already listening to some pre-game radio show while
my mom was making deviled eggs, potato salad, cookies and all sorts of other
traditional tailgate food. And a
couple hours later, while my parents loaded up the car with all our pirate
paraphernalia, I would be icing a Pee-Dee tattoo on my cheek to complete my ECU
cheerleader’s costume.
 |
| With my two sisters - Dare (left) and Darla (center) |
My father and I would talk in detail about the season
strategies, the new players, and our predictions for the outcome of each game
on the schedule. I would become
obsessed and study each program, religiously watch the weekly coach’s show,
listen to Jeff Charles, aka “The Voice of the Pirates,” and treat each game as
if it were the most important one of my life.
Now that I’m older and maybe have dealt with too many losing
seasons of both ECU and UNC (my alma mater), I care less about how the team
does on the field but more about the tradition, the socialization, and the
excuse to relax, drink beer, and watch some sports. In this time of my life as a runner, I am also starting to
think of fall as another type of season:
Marathon Season.
We runners have been sweating, chafing, and trudging through
the dog days of summer, but I am starting to feel the promise of a time when easy
runs will naturally become quicker and I’ll be able to fly through some speed
work. Similar to the excitement I
still have about football season, I am starting to feel some butterflies about
a couple of approaching races.
This past week, I picked out and signed up for the Marine
Corps Half-Marathon in Camp Lejeune that I will run as training 5 weeks before
the Marine Corps Marathon. I have
already started devising some sort of game plan in my head for both the half
and the full, and I have been researching the courses and past performances to
see what I will be up against.
As the Carolina Panthers have begun some seriously hot
practices at training camp in Spartanburg, SC this week, I have run my body
hard till I have had chills from dehydration. Still – even through the heat – I can feel a different kind
of tingle that is a reminder that game day will be here before I know it. And I still feel the same optimism that
I had as a kid watching Jeff Blake, David Garrard, and Scott Harley when I
thought my beloved ECU Pirates would finally arrive and win a national
championship.
My prediction this year? I think it’s going to be a good season.
MCM Training Week Seven: 50 Miles
Overall, it was a solid week of training. Thankfully, the discomfort in my right
foot is now completely gone. Between
a 15-mile run on a Wednesday night after a long day of work and an extremely
hot 10-mile run with a little over 5 miles at a hard 10K pace, there were some
challenges. However, I absolutely
believe that it is important to force myself to complete some difficult
runs. That way – a marathon in sub-60-degree
weather may almost feel like a breeze in comparison (or so I can hope!).
This Week’s Beer Choice: Bell’s Oberon Ale
This wheat ale pleasantly surprised me. I picked up a bottle in my
make-your-own six pack at Harris Teeter after being persuaded by another beer
lover perusing the store’s selection.
I put off drinking it because I was afraid it was going to be too sweet,
but it actually turned out to be a great ale with only a moderate fruity taste.
No comments:
Post a Comment