Ten Miles of Marietta

Something unnatural must be happening to me, because my long runs have been feeling better and better these days. Perhaps it is as simple as my change in attitude – looking forward to the run instead of dreading it hours on end before it actually arrives. Amazing stuff isn’t it?

This morning I even decided to take off earlier than I normally would. As a woman in an Appalachian town in Ohio unfamiliar to me, I would have waited until some sunlight appeared, but I was anxious. I had been up since 5 am and by 6:38 am I was out the door. It was still pretty dark out and the street lights were starting to flicker and shut off with the slow anticipation of morning sunrise. To sum it up – I was quite scurred in these parts. It was hard to keep from sprinting. I tried humming with Alicia Keys as she sang Diary live and as she promised to keep the secrets of her love done, I wondered what secrets were tucked away in these gently rolling Appalachian hills. Hoping a raccoon or an Appalachian Madman wouldn’t cross my path I kept my cool and made it down the two miles stretch from my hotel into Historic Downtown Marietta, Ohio.

The previous day I had spotted a track and thought it might be a good idea to do some miles on the track turf and better yet have more accuracy in my run. I looped around the gated track and field only to find it was locked and chained so no one would ever get in without having to hop a fence. I thought for a second and immediately thought not. At this point I was only at mile 3.5 so I turned back and decided to do some laps around this historic area until I saw some better running paths. No one was out on the streets; a couple of cars here and there, some teenage kid on a bike and a suspicious looking man. (Note: almost everyone is a suspicious character in foreign places while it is dark.) I ran past dusty looking antique shops with Christmas lights strung on both the inside and outside. Old bank buildings and the historic LaFayette Hotel were also on my route. I ran over a bridge and along the river by Marietta Park and back over again. Finally, my eyes set sight on a nice bike trail and I jumped on the opportunity to run its length. I was in my last four miles at this point. I had stop to take a GU shot at mile 6 and washed it down with my Gatorade Frost. Even the GU is starting not to taste so bad. 

My music had been on party shuffle the entire time and I didn’t want to tamper with the iPod at all so I just let it run its course, but man did it know what songs to play and when! Like Rick Ross I pushed it to the limit like I was flying down a Miami highway breakin’ from the police. I couldn’t believe how good I was feeling at mile 7, 8, 9 and 10 – the end.

Running Stats:

Location: Marietta, OH
Temperature: 52 degrees
Run: Long – 10 miles
Course: Rolling hills. Street asphalt and bike trail.
Time: 1h 40m
Finished: Feeling great! Wanna do it again!

Music that Made Me Really Move Today:

Bubble – Sean Paul feat. Farenheit
Can’t Wait – Shurwayne Winchester
She’s Hearing Voices – Bloc Party

Adrienne