Okay, I think Laura can stop thinking I'm weird now.
Several times over the years my favorite radio meteorologist and I have been discussing my outdoor recreation habits, and she has thought them a little strange. Well, actually, she finds one more painful than strange, and can't quite understand why I keep doing it. I've tried to explain to her that by doing it during the summer I'm actually getting ready to do something related in the winter, but she still thinks it's either masochistic or weird.
But now I can say that it has paid off.
The activity Laura thinks is so masochistic and/or weird is how I will run on the beach during the summer. For some reason, she seems to think it's painful, but I would have to respectfully disagree with her on that. After all, when it's warm out, why WOULDN'T I run on the beach a little? I mean, c'mon—it's the beach. It's the place where I would live year-round if I could. So why wouldn't I run on it?
Actually, I have an idea why she thinks it's a bit masochistic. Even I will admit that it's hard running on a beach. It's not like running on a smooth surface; you definitely have to work harder, and you definitely end up hurting a lot more than you would during a “normal” run. But that's a good thing for two reasons. One, by having to work that much harder, you torch a LOT more calories than you would during a “normal” run. And isn't that why most people run in the first place? And since running on sand is a whole lot different than running on pavement, you develop different muscles. That's a good thing, too.
The second reason is something that a lot of people wouldn't even think of, but at least for me, it may be more important than the calories you burn while running on the beach. You see, once the snow falls and you go out running, you often find yourself trudging through a quagmire of snow, sometimes mushy, and as well as all the sand thrown down by road crews. You may think I'm weird for running on a beach during summer, but you know what?
It gets me in shape for running on city streets during the winter. It got me in shape for running earlier this morning, for sure, with four inches of new snow mixed with copious amounts of sand on the streets.
Yes, I'm actually a rather serious about this. If you've ever tried to run down a city street in December or January—heck, if you're ever tried to even walk down a city street in December or January—you know that it can be a lot like walking on a beach, or at least walking on a beach minus the sun and the heat and the water and all the things that make walking on a beach so much fun. The composition of the crap on a Marquette city street in the middle of winter is very similar to what you find on a beach. You find sand mixed with water on a beach, right? Well, what do you find on a city street in the middle of winter? You find water mixed with sand. Maybe it's not the exact same proportions, and it may be 60 or 70 degrees cooler, but it's pretty much the same stuff you run on on a beach.
I rest my case.
So, Laura, the next time you think me weird or masochistic for running on a beach, remember two things. Remember that I'm running on one of the most beautiful cold water beaches on the planet. And also remember that the four or five months I run on a beach is getting me ready for the seven or eight months that I may have to run on snowy Marquette city streets. You see, there IS a method to my madness!
8-)
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