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Tonight on my run I was taken back in time.  Back to a time when things were simpler when there weren't fancy fabrics, watches that tracked everything from HR to pace to distance, to a time when I ran just for the joy of it, for the love of it. 

Yes I trained and I raced, but at the heart of it I just enjoyed running whether it was a long easy run, racing the boys on the trails in the fall getting ready to do battle on the cross country course, or hammering around the track trying to find that elusive speed to fly around the track.

I always loved finding the flow, cadence and that mental zone that you felt you could hold forever.  Everything would be perfect.  I'll be honest I've been struggling finding my groove on the run since the bike crash at IMC over 2 months ago but I have kept at it knowing that things would come around.

I'm not sure what it was about tonight.  It wasn't an easy run, it was over an hour of running with 40 minutes at tempo, with the second half harder than the first. I didn't feel particularly loose as I started the run.  It might have been the last gasp of fall in the air.  The fall has always been my favorite time of year to run, there's a cripsness in the air, leaves rustling on the ground and the twilight seems softer.  It might have been watching the NYC Marathon and feeling that fire again as the Americans more than held their own in the race. Meb, Hall, Magda and Ficker all inspired me with their performances.

That feeling was back tonight just the simple joy of running my heart pounding, my arms flowing, my legs lifting flowing foward lightly touching down before launcing me forward into my next stride.  I was running hard but I didn't feel it and when I ran harder I just found more flow and I just felt stronger and stronger as the run went. 

Normally my legs feel a little rough after this workout but not tonight as walked to my car in the fading light I felt loose, strong, and joyful. Like that kid who used to go out in any weather in his nylon shorts and raggedy t-shirt and just run for the love of running.

My triathlon season did not end the way I had hoped or envisioned so I decided it wouldn't be the end of my season.  I've decided to make a run at a marathon in a couple of weeks at the Seattle Marathon.  I'm still on the bike once a week and in the pool a couple times a week but my run is the focus and my fitness is coming around so I'm hoping to finish the season off with a good, honest marathon. 

My history with this race isn't great, the last time I had planned to run this marathon I was 22 and well I was fast.  I woke up on the morning of the race and my father and I stared out the window at the rain drops bouncing off the ground they were so big an it was raining that hard.  I looked at my dad and said "I don't think these are the conditions I want to race my first marathon in" he winked and said simply "good, I'm going back to bed" and with that he did.  It rained like that all day and I didn't race.  I've alway regretted that decision as a month later I ran a 10 miler in 51 minutes and won by 14 minutes, like I said I used to be fast, today I'd blow a gasket if I ran one mile that fast (if I could).  My re-entry into the marathon distance wouldn't happen for another 9 years and I had lost that edge, the fitness and speed.  So I have no plans of backing down I'm going to go out on November 29th and run for the love of it.