Run-up to the Run

It’s that time of the year again: the Broad Street Run will take place in less than three weeks, and, once again, I’m training for it. This year’s registration filled up within five days of opening, but I played it safe by registering within minutes from the beginning. Within a few days, but before the registration closed, my seventeen-year-old daughter informed me that she, too, wanted to run, so I got her in under the wire.

It’s been alternately fun and maddening to train with my daughter. Case in point: I spent all of last Saturday at a conference for my work, so I knew I’d have to do my long run on Sunday. Late Saturday afternoon, Madeleine texted me to let me know that she’d have to run at 7 a.m. because of a commitment she had at 10. I’d looked forward to having a little more time between waking up and running, but it was not to be. Psychologically, then, I wasn’t in the best shape for a long run, but I got it in.

Still, it’s been fun to do this with Madeleine. She’s faster than I am, at least on long runs, but I’ve been able to finish earlier on some of the short runs. It’s excited, though, to see her do the long runs: each week she runs a longer distance than she’d ever done before.

Coming off the injury to my ankle, I’m doing pretty well. I still have to be vigilant to do exercises to strengthen my left leg, and I won’t run without an ankle brace. Still, I’m feeling pretty good at this point, so I have no concerns about not being able to race on May 1.