Panic Attack!

Sunday's long run wasn't necessarily long, just fourteen miles or just 7 laps around Buffalo Park. "Long runs" become defined as "long" after a eight-teen mile session and beyond. The first six miles were a nice, easy 9:40 pace, then I turned it up a notch and ran sub eights for the remaining eight miles where I became lost in the beat from the PodRunner download. Lost in the music, I was barely noticed the pace while focusing on keeping light feet and a quick turn-over. Strangely, it helped.


When my friend Tonia, a first time marathoner, started running with me years ago, during one of the "agonizing" three mile daily runs which we barely finished, I told her, "Wait to towards the end of the summer. The three miles you almost quit upon today will seem like a warm-up and your perception of distance will change. Where once you thought of driving your car one mile to the store, instead you'll walk or run. Next you'll find yourself telling me you want run '...just a quick five...' and think nothing of it." Sure enough, she spoke those words, "...a quick five..." and knew what it meant. (Side bar: when drunk in my twenties, I'd often leave through the back door and run home six to eight miles, maybe longer depending on how straight I could run.)

Yesterday was a cross-training, weight day at the gym followed by the initiation of summer with vodka lemonade on the front porch. Cause and effect: Today's seven mile run in the gym was cut short due to a mild panic attack set-off from the use of a new treadmill in a confined space without air circulation, low ceiling, heat and the rush of the 4:30 crowd. Did the vodka lemonade contribute?

After some breathing exercises, the attack passed. Definitely, I'm running outside tomorrow on the w i d e - o p e n - m e s a where I can see for miles with a cool breeze and no crowds.