Running into Ike

Despite being hundreds of miles to our south, pummeling away at Cuba, hurricane Ike's far outer bands are sweeping across the region, the faintest hint of it's power which raked through the Caribbean this weekend. We are as far away as we can be and still feel any effects. So despite blustery winds and occasional rain sprays, I took off for an 8 miler on the Griffin loop. In fifteen minutes I went from asleep to running. It's tough in the morning to get my engines firing, and I deliberately left the ipod at home to keep from trashing yet another one....so I loped through the first miles until circling back on 56th and then eventually heading east and into the winds.

Resistance running into wind is the equivalent of hill training. This is where I miraculously found my rhythm as I tucked myself into the force that kept pushing against me and found the power in my legs to keep up a good, steady stride. I need to find ways to get these extra jolts, realizing that I become too regimented in similar mileage and pacing...so it felt great, awesome! to crash up against the gusts of stormy weather and keep pushing it- good workout! Very tough.

It's weird to watch the poorest and most vulnerable succumb to Nature's power knowing it might have been us. There is so little fairness in the distribution of fate. I can enjoy the flash of energy She flings at us, using it as a tool in my own training, and it hardly disrupts anything in my life. Meanwhile countless others have lost all.

The balance of power as it tips from end to end makes the rhythm of the world. I beat out rhythms with my hands and feet when I run without music. I remind myself that underneath it all there is always the one-two of my heartbeat and footfall. And no matter how much it feels like the winds will topple me, I manage to keep standing.