Beach Running?

Well, today is the first day in three days that I've been able to get myself out the door and running. I had great ambitions of running down the beach with a beautiful breeze and a nice sunrise. However, before I left the door I had a few things against me. The beach we are on is a small island that is only accessible by the residents staying there. So, this means there are lots and lots of shells on the beach... and in the water. So, over the course of a few days, I have sliced my both of my feet open. Smart, I know. I can barely put weight on my left foot, let alone run on it. Also, I've been suffering from headaches almost every day since I've returned from Baltimore, which is a pretty typical way for my body to deal with stress. However, I really wanted to get out and go running, so I did.

The first 10 minutes of W6D2 was great. The beach was hard packed and not many shells. However, after my 3 minute walk, the beach suddenly became more like an obstacle course. The sand near the dune line was way too soft, and with the tide coming in, that left me to run on oyster shells. I made it about 3 minutes before I had to stop. A few minute walk later I tried to start running again and this time only lasted 2 minutes. I could not bring myself to run on this open beach with no end, no landmarks, and no clear path. I started walking in pure defeat and was very confused as to where my motivation went. True, my feet were absolutely killing me. And true, I've never ran on the beach and it probably wasn't ideal running conditions. However, I also just purely lacked motivation.

I realized when looking at the endless beach that, while it was beautiful, I had no attachment to it and no routine. Up until now, running has been synonymous with Baltimore. I solely know how to exist as a runner in Baltimore. I had a routine and I had a path and I knew what I had to do to be better. I knew the hills of where I lived and I knew the places were I could pick up the pace and I knew where the end of my 5k run was so I could sprint to the end. Now, I have none of that. Not that I can't gain that all back, but I think my confusion and sudden lack of motivation is just a demonstration of how leaving Baltimore has really affected me. I know changes are hard and all of that stuff, but this feels a bit different than most changes I've made in my life. I kinda feel like a dog that someone threw into the middle of a frozen lake - my legs are going everywhere and I can't stand and I really just want to get back to land and my routine. So, I know my last few posts have been saturated with musings about Baltimore, but I'm sure as I find routine in NC and learn what it means to be a runner in NC, I'll get back to more hard data and less philosophical analogies about dogs. :)

So, all in all, my run wasn't really that great, but I'm glad I at least got outside and tried today. Hopefully, when I get back from the beach, I can find a place to run in NC where I can learn the hills and path and get my running back on track. Until then, I'll try not to chide myself too much.