I am a very outgoing person. I am also a very talkative and curious person. I have no problem finding my way around social gatherings. I treat my friends like family and really don't believe that there is such a thing as a stranger. I love interacting with people and learning about what makes them tick. Sharing experiences is one of the most exciting things I think you can do with someone and I am game to try any crazy thing you want to do at least once. I am "that person" people always feel comfortable talking to in grocery store lines. There is not a shy bone in my body. It is not a part of who I am.
Then why is it that I only want to run alone? People tell me "you should run with someone....to keep you company" or "they will help you increase your pace". I get that...I really do. But for some reason, when I am running I like it to be "just me". I don't want to talk. I see people running together all the time, sharing stories and having good laughs. It looks like fun, but for some reason I just can't bring myself to do it. It really makes no sense. It is not like I am excluded....I am invited all the time by an awesome group of running buddies. And I am always like "yeah, I need to get out there with you!", only to end up taking down a trail or road by myself. Even at the brewery, I tend to take modified routes to avoid all the hustle and bustle of the main group. I literally meet all my friends...mingle...run alone...come back and meet up with them again...and then have beers and talk the night away.
This is bothering me. Lexington has a great running community...very close knit and active. I am like the outcast in a community of runners. It is like I am two people (in a "non-mental" sort of way). "Everyday Andrea" loves getting out and mingling..."Runner Andrea" just wants to run alone and be with her own thoughts. As weird as it sounds, I am two opposite people attracted to the same thing...running. It is really something I have to figure out. It is not like I hate running, I love it...but for some reason I am shy when it comes to being with other runners. WTF?! I am going to have to work on this....always good to have a goal I guess. Give me time though...I don't mean to be rude...I just need to come out of my "running shell". Shit...my shoes are "loud and unique" why can't I be? I may have to start a support group. I really hope I am not the only one with this issue.
Other than that, the count down for TOPO is officially on. T-minus one month. I am so excited. I am actually using the IRunFar Holiday Challenge of 50 miles as my starting point. The next step is to hit the trails hard when I can and study some maps to compare my current terrain to what I will be up against on January 26th. This is a big deal to me and I am nervous as hell. The distance is no problem....I have been upping my distance and running in preparation, and have a few races in between now and then. Not to mention that my Salomons will be with me every step of the way! We will see how it goes. I would say I am worried about the cold, but hell, if you saw the amount of frozen snot on my gloves...you would understand why I am not concerned :) . I think I am ready for what the trails can throw at me this winter. Come spring I should be a friggin gazelle...especially since I will be able to feel my butt again after runs :)
In conclusion, I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas (if you celebrate). Santa was very good to me and I will be like a kid in a candy store when I head to John's Run Walk Shop tomorrow to get some new gear. I know..."this isn't Boulder" but I can give them another chance! I need cold weather gear...some areas just should not get so cold that you loose feeling...LOL. I told you I was outgoing and treat everyone like friends :)
Oh...and if anyone has any good book recommendations...FB me and let me know. Yes, I read the 50 Shades of Grey series (holy crap...how many showers can one couple take in a day) and just finished Eat and Run (awesome running book) and Correr O Morir (I translated it...so I am not sure how much "lost in translation" occurred...but awesome book...way to go 12 years of espanol!) and am now looking for something new. I really don't like fiction, so some non-fiction that will not leave me asleep after the first chapter would be great!
Now the wind is howling and the rain is hitting the windows....making me quite sleepy. Off to dream about the winter's trail running season....where in my dreams I will win every race :)
You are not alone AT ALL. We have people that come out with the group and run alone. Often. I don't want to say that it is something you will grow out of, but you might. I used to be you. For a few years. And then I found awesome friends and I haven't looked back. My solo runs feel weird now. Although one of my favorite feelings in the world is realizing that I've ran completely in sync with someone for two or three miles and neither of us has said a word. That is a really strange - and awesome - sense of peace. And it makes me miss my best friend who is currently living in Miami.
ReplyDeleteBook recommendations:To Be a Runner is fantastic. If you haven't read Born to Run, it will light your fire like nothing else. Not that you necessarily need it, but The End of Overeating totally changed the way I deal with food (from a "how companies manipulate us" standpoint). I know "don't really like fiction," but the Hunger Games totally sucked me in. I guess that's enough.
I really hope to see you soon, friend!
Hola, yo también corro solo, y desde que practicaba escalada en alta montaña, siempre prefería ir solo, en ésta ciudad la gente es un poco apática hacia la práctica de deportes, y si no les gusta el treeking... ¿crees que les gustaría correr en las montañas? no lo creo.
ReplyDeleteHola allí
ReplyDeleteSé lo que están hablando. Me gustaría pensar que si podíamos salir de allí .... que se enamoran de las montañas y la naturaleza!
Tienes razón ... es triste, muchos piensan Kentucky no es un lugar activo ... no puede ser Boulder Colorado, pero creo que somos una comunidad muy fuerte.
¿Dónde trepar y correr? Me gustaría probar nuevos lugares pronto.