Whitelining

From Henney Road, I looked west across the open sand pit. On the far side, heavy forestation provided a dark background against which I could see curtains of heavy mist blowing back the direction I had come. This was what was blowing into my face as I chugged up the hill to SE 15th Street.

Both of those thoroughfares are section lines, paved routes following more or less the mile-square grid layout covering most of Oklahoma. My latest running efforts take me on a 4.5 mile route, including passage on Hiwasee Road and SE 29th Street, as well. I was just beyond the 1-mile mark when I knew I would be getting a little wet today. The cold and wet front sweeping across the Heartland comes and goes, but each wave is a little wetter than the last. Tonight the temperatures will drop, turning it into snow. In Oklahoma, the heaviest snowfalls, when they come, are during March. We expect at least a foot of snow over much of the state, after several inches of cold rain.

By the time I had slogged the full distance, I was wet to the skin, head to toe. That was still a lot better than my first time out on this route. I had forgotten to pay attention to my stride, and beat my knees up pretty badly. I had to take the next day off until the swelling went down. The day after that, I was careful to maintain a long low stride. That means sticking as much as possible to asphalt.

There is a courtesy you give to motorists. First, wear highly reflective clothing so you don’t surprise them, especially on ugly weather days. Second, as you see a vehicle approaching (you are running against the traffic, right?) you glance back to see if there is traffic coming at them. If there is, you need to yield as much road as you can. My good fortune in this case is most of the route has a decent shoulder.

Traffic was light this morning, so I didn’t have to consider it much. I could concentrate on form and cadence. Right now, the most important thing is consistency. I have to make sure I can finish the distance with the maximum pace, and the minimum of beating on my knees. Every little detail counts. For example, asphalt is far better than concrete; when you get past 40, your knees will tell you this. Second, out here most of the roads are improved enough to include a white reflective line to mark the edge of the pavement. That white line is mostly a rubberized compound poured on top of the asphalt, making a wide smooth strip, with just a tiny extra bit of rebound.

The big thing when you are arthritic, over 50, and just trying to be consistent, is whitelining it.