The Third Mile
The third mile took almost eleven minutes. Near the top, a song came on, and the next two miles were among the fastest of the day.
The third mile took almost eleven minutes. Up through Carmel, through the pines, the road climbing the whole way. I didn’t fight it.
Near the top, a song came up on the Cam Hanes run playlist: “From Driven to Obsessed” by Makaveli Motivation. The next two miles were among the fastest of the day.
Where the river meets the ocean
Sunday started where the river meets the ocean. Out the door a little after seven, the beach still empty, the water flat and grey-blue and not in any hurry.
The first mile is the gift: Scenic Road, the ocean on your left, nothing to do but settle in. Then the road turns uphill and the run gets honest. Hills here aren’t something to beat. They’re the price of the view on the other side.
Driven to obsessed
The song landed at exactly the right moment. Driven is wanting something. Obsessed is when you stop asking whether you want it and just keep showing up. Halfway up a long climb, that’s the difference between arguing with the hill and running it.
Morning miles don’t give you answers. They give you the room for the answers to show up.
The run
- 10.1 miles · 1:22:09 moving · 8:07/mi average
- 890 ft of climbing, most of it in miles 2, 3 and 6
- Splits: 7:40 · 9:07 · 10:51 · 7:56 · 7:28 · 8:15 · 7:59 · 9:06 · 8:29 · 7:27
- Carmel River Beach → Scenic Road → Carmel → Del Monte Forest and back
Back to the beach
The last mile was the fastest of the day, 7:27, flat along the water and home to where the river meets the ocean.
