Finally. It’s outdoor season. No more morning practices (for the most part). No more Armory (for the majority of the week). It sucks that we now have morning practices on Mondays, but whatever. It’s outdoor season!
Outdoor season is great. Indoor is just an annoying precursor to what track is really about. After months of choking on dry air and waking up at 5:00, we get to move outside. I guess outdoor season’s superiority can be summed up by one word: comfort. It’s finally safe to start venturing outside again. It’s warming up, and the sun can be spotted for more than just a couple of minutes at a time. And during this transition from winter to summer, the town is at its prettiest. And the weather is at its best.
Yesterday we ran to the course. It’s been so long since we set foot on the hill at Orchard Downs. As we ran through the Arboretum by Japan House, I was overcome by a massive sense of nostalgia. Some of my fondest running memories were forged there. I was actually happy to be running for the first time in months. The two things I really love about running are the friends and the sights. Being able to see the town in a state of bloom is the best cure for the unavoidable winter funk. Running laps in the Armory really does not instill a sense of wonderment in me.
It might just be the fact that Vitamin D is once again starting to course through my veins but I’m finally pumped to be running again. Aside from the nice weather, the work is so much more rewarding. Doing workouts early in the morning does not feel very beneficial; it feels like you’re trying to punish your body. Workouts on the course actually feel good. You really feel like you are accomplishing something. Competition is also a lot nicer during the outdoor season. Indoor meets consist of being stuck in cramped buildings with way too many people. There’s nowhere to go, and you’re constantly breathing in disgusting, dry air. There is also an annoying monotony to running on a 200 meter track. None of it feels natural. On the other hand, outdoor tracks are great. You can feel the wind as you run, and you are surrounded by sights. You don’t feel caged in.
All in all, I’m so glad outdoor season is starting. Our first outdoor meet is today, and hopefully it’ll be enjoyable. It’s nice to finally be back outside, enjoying the weather.
I can well imagine why you're excited for the transition from running indoors to running out in the open air, on a course that meanders rather than a track that goes around and around. Spring is great in so many ways, but clearly it has a special meaning for devoted runners.
ReplyDeleteNice post, there's something so depressing about running on a track, because you feel psychologically that you're not getting anywhere. I love the smell of spring when I run outside. I don't feel trapped or enclosed at all. There's the freedom to go wherever I want.
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