It’s amazing what 20 ounces of one beverage can do for a person. Almost from the first taste of the coffee supposedly shipped in to Lancaster, Pa. from Guatemala, all of the aches and pains in my head slipped into the ether. Sure, it could be psychosomatic, but the energized feeling – as well as the shaky hands – has to come from somewhere.
Obviously, it’s from my drug of choice.
That brings me to a quote I once read that was attributed to William Burroughs where he once told an audience that, “drugs are an inevitable part of life.”
I couldn’t agree more and I’ve debated with people what exactly Burroughs was talking about. Most seem to think that the beat bard was talking about narcotics and the illicit stuff that he waxed on about in his writing, speaking and in a role in the Gus Van Sandt film Drugstore Cowboy.
That’s obvious, but I also believe Burroughs was talking about everyday drugs, too, like caffeine, aspirin, television, money, and whatever else people need in order to make it through the day. In that regard perhaps Burroughs should have said, “Addictions are an inevitable part of life.”
But that would have been too easy.
I also believe that the human body does not want drugs and that Mother Nature, in her own little odd way, is perfect.
Pretty ambiguous, huh?
Nevertheless, the coffee helped my head and the other fluids – an antioxidant drink and gallons and gallons of water – are helping me stave off the cold that seems to be affecting people in these parts. I’m sure the weather isn’t helping much, either. All week it’s been rather seasonal for mid-November, but today it’s sunny with the temperature pushing toward 70 degrees. Typically in these situations, I like to stay consistent with my clothing choices during my workouts. That means a long-sleeved Nike compression shirt and a pair of Pearl Izumi running shorts for my easy five miler in 30:05.
During the run I felt pretty laid back despite the fact that I ran at 6-minute pace. It didn't seem hard, but wasn't super, super easy, either -- I had to think about running that pace. However, I guess it's my average, uptempo pace which I hope to do for 26.2 miles on Sunday. Actually, I'd like to go 6 minutes for the first 13 miles and 5:30 to 5:50 for the last 13.
That will do it.
On another note, it’s typical for runners to gain a pound or two during the taper period since they aren’t cranking out the miles. For some (like me) this is a cause for concern because weight has a tendency to slow people down, but fortunately, I feel as fit this week as I did last week. Whether or not I gained (or lost) any weight is unknown since I choose not to weigh myself. Instead I gauge my fitness and healthiness by how fast (or slow) I am.
That doesn’t mean I don’t watch my diet, especially this week. But man, there is just so much to think about with this running stuff.
Running nugget
According to some blogger in San Francisco, the running boom is alive and well and isn’t fueled by the fast folks. To this we say, “No s---.”
Speaking of the elites, the elite of the elite women, Joan Samuelson, wants to run a sub-2:50 marathon when she turns 50. That would get her in the Olympic Trials, which is extremely impressive.
Then again, Joan Samuelson is the greatest American woman runner ever. There is no debate.