Ride and rest

We had a busy weekend so I had to be a little creative to get a good ride in. It was important to me for several reasons, the least of which was that I knew it would be the last ride for several days.
Because we went to a wedding Mass on Saturday, our Sunday morning was more open than usual, so right after breakfast I headed out to the Interurban highway for a 34-mile ride. I would characterize my effort for the whole distance as "moderate." I didn't want to put any undue stress on sore muscles, but I wanted a good workout. I kept a steady pace from start to finish, and covered the distance in 2:18, an average of 14.7mph. Now, because there's not enough daylight to get a ride in after work, and because I won't have the opportunity to get out next weekend, I will be forced to rest for several days. I'll work out in the gym and walk when I can.
I'm going to tell a story and it's going to sound like I'm feeling sorry for myself. I'm not, I promise. Well, maybe a little. If not being able to run is the worst thing I have to endure, then I've got no problems.
This weekend was Kansas City Marathon weekend. The races had more than 11,500 entrants, and I knew several people at work who were planning to run. They all wanted to know if I was running, too, and two or three of the novices even asked me for tactical advice. By the time the week came to an end, I'd really heard enough about a race that I wanted to be in, but couldn't.
Things only got worse on Saturday, though, because for the first time a local television station televised the first three hours of the race. I watched, of course, and my envy grew. We headed for the wedding at noon, and it wasn't long before I learned that the groom's sister had run her first marathon in the Twin Cities two weeks ago, finishing in under 4 hours, an incredible accomplishment. At the reception she was still all pumped up about it, and while I loved hearing about it, it gave me a strange feeling of being left out.
The whole marathon scene this past week really got me thinking, and I finally figured out a couple of things:

1 - I miss the races for sure. I miss all that enthusiasm, energy and excitement. I miss testing myself and being in the discussion with other runners.
2. Maybe more than anything I miss the enjoyment of rigorous exercise. I like what it does for me mentally as much as physically. It's this feeling of well-being, of satisfaction. I imagine my body and mind thanking me - giving me health points - for working out.
I know my injuries will heal and I'll run again, but I'm impatient. It's already been 5 months since I last ran. But I'm grateful I can still ride, and once a week I can ride pretty hard. That helps.
Until I can get back out there I wish all my running friends all the best. I still want to hear all your stories, and I plan to have a few of my own to tell in the not-too-distant future.