The thump of my heels on the sidewalk.
The splash of my water into my parched mouth, and on the back of my neck.
The smell of freshly-cut grass.
The distant drone of a lawnmower.
The nearby buzz of a leafblower.
The cool shade of an oak tree.
The diesel exhaust of a truck that passes.
The warm rush of air in the draft of the truck.
The swirl of dust and leaves.
A quick wave to another runner, coming toward and passing me.
Pushing myself to keep running up a gentle incline that feels like a mountain.
“Passed one mile in twelve minutes, thirteen seconds.”
The first mile is always the hardest.
Nine weeks after I hurt myself, five weeks after I wondered if it was an injury I’d never recover from, and two weeks after I started seriously rehabbing it, I’ve been back on the road every couple of days, going a little farther each time, running a little longer without stopping, making my comfort zone a little bigger.
Today, I ran a little over 5280 feet in about 12 minutes, but this particular first mile took about three months.
The interrogation of my dogs when I return to my house.
Their tails wagging against my legs when I gently push them away.
Their noses on my shoulders when I sit down to stretch.
A cool glass of water.
The fizz of an electrolyte tablet.
Catching my breath.
Sweat running down my back, down my face, down my arms.
The heaviness of exhausted leg muscles.
The joy of finishing the first mile, which, if measured in actual time distance and, was much longer.
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Wonderful Wil ! I love the description.
T.S. Elliot has nothing on you, my friend.
I love the description!
The first mile IS always the hardest…in any run, I’m convinced, but especially after coming back from illness/injury. However, the reward is definitely worth more than the effort expended.
Proud of you.
I’m exactly the same. I hate the first mile, but always find it worth it. Glad to hear that you’re getting back to full strength again!
As a Coach with Team in Training (which if I recall you did when you finished the San Diego Marathon with Anne), I always tell my participants never trust the first mile, it always fees awful. But for you today I think we can make an exception and you can trust all the hard work that went into that first mile. Wishing you many happy miles going forward.
Love your “5280” comment seeing as how we refer to my home city of Denver as the 5280. Our altitude gave us this name. 🙂
Awesome!!!!!
So I broke my ankle last year and it was bad. I had started to run in April last year and that feeling was so much my days running. I am back to 45 minute 5 mile run on a good day. Keep up the hard work. I usually will add another mile if I have some home brews at the house the day before.
Congrats! The hardest part is the beginning.
Recovery from injuries is an exercise in masochism. If it feels good, you’re not pushing hard enough, and if it hurts too much you’re re-injuring yourself. Maintaining that exact level of “oh my god this sucks” is how you get that mobility and strength back.
Good job.
Very inspiring. Thanks for sharing.
Congrats! Glad you’re able to get back out there.
Sheer poetry.
I don’t run, but I like what you have to say about it.
I really enjoy following your running journey. I also have adult onset runner syndrome. I hope you see how much willpower and mental strength you have through this – it’s clear to me just from reading your posts here and on FB. I look forward to following your running journey moving forward.
Glad to see that you’re back on the road again. This blog entry should be put to the melody of “That’s Entertainment” by The Jam…
Ahhhhhhhhhh soo motivating Will!
That’s just what fits my fave : SUMMER BODIES ARE MADE IN WINTER!
Keep making all feet yards and miles by adding creative perception!
back on track, awsome!
Great stuff,
My physical therapist convinced me to train for a summertime 5K. We start in a few weeks. I think I last time i ran was in 1981 when i played ‘ding-dong ditch’. 😉
I feel your pain.. oddly enough, your life reboot thing got me moving as well. I started around the end of December exercising more, eating better, the like. I got to the point where I was running for 20-30 minutes a day, then boxing exercises for another 20-30 minutes a day. Love the boxing because it works out any frustrations I may have.. and working in the IT industry, I have them.
But sadly around mid January I also hurt my left calf. That was the end of running for me for a while. What I’ve done in the mean time is try of all things, Wii Fit Step and Step Boxing, to go along with the punching bag exercises. I miss the running, but the last time I tried I went down fast. But at least I’m still working out some!
Good luck though man.
The new blog post.
The mysterious title.
The vague sentence fragments.
The “Continue Reading” link, enticing us to find out more.
The gradual recognition.
The satisfaction in knowing that Wil is recovering from his injury.
The pang of guilt, knowing that my perfectly healthy legs didn’t run anywhere near a mile yesterday.
The adorable bit about the dogs.
The comments section.
The homage.
I just started running with the Zombies, Run! 5k training app.
I’m enjoying it overall, but it’s really tough getting myself up and out when it’s -15c outside 🙁
Managing 10,000 steps without jogging at all is enough of a challenge, so to learn that you actually ran the full mile….awesomeness.
Excellent imagery! You appealed to all of the senses, made me feel like I was running along with you. I enjoyed reading it very much!
“Making my comfort zone a little bigger.”. Words to live by.
Excellent! Here’s to many more to come.
Your post reminded me the first time I realized that instead of running and thinking of how hard it is, about how uncomfortable my overweight body feels, and about the pain – I started being aware of the outside: the smells, the sounds, the sights. It was an “aha” moment, realizing that I passed some mental obstacle.
Unfortunately I have to start over after neglecting my training for several months.
But thanks to you I now have the “Zombies, Run!” application and am going to use it this weekend for the first time 🙂
so thanks for the inspiration 🙂
It makes me feel like giving running a tryp.
You can do it, Wil! I just got diagnosed with hip dysplasia, and possibly a herniated disc after I FINALLY got a ten minute mile accomplished. I’m trying to keep the faith and with a lot of PT I’ll be back at it soon.
Your struggles and success have helped me keep my hopes up. 🙂 Thanks!