About seven years ago Scott and I went on a cruise. I had only been running for about a year at the time and I thought it would be a neat experience to go for a run around the small track that was on board the cruise ship. Little did I know that it's not as easy as it sounds. Aside from the fact that 11 (ELEVEN :-O ) laps equaled one mile, and I have a hard enough time running laps on a normal sized track, there's also a major wind issue. Even on a calm day an upper deck on a cruise ship can be quite windy. So on this particular cruise I went up with Scott to enjoy a run and ended up having to walk the length of the track on one side every lap. It was so windy I felt like I wasn't moving at all. I can't remember how many laps I did total, but I don't think it was more than enough to make up more than a mile, maybe two, and I do remember being completely drained. Happy for the experience, but also saying I'd never do that again.
Fast forward to this past February. We went on a cruise with the kids and I was determined to try running the track again. I didn't really have an expectation for time, despite the fact that my pace per mile had dropped significantly from the last time I ran on a ship. I really just wanted to run and see what happened. And maybe I'd be able to do it without walking one side on each lap.
Scott and I got started and I was feeling pretty good. I didn't have RunKeeper going so I couldn't tell what my pace was. I did have the stop watch app and would mark each lap as we passed our starting point. I can't do math in my head well to begin with, let alone while I'm focusing on running around a small track and not running into other people so I didn't bother to try until we were completely done.
The track on this ship was a bit bigger than the last one I had been on. Only 7 laps per mile instead of the 11 before. It's still monotonous, but better for sure. Even though I felt good at the beginning, that feeling began to fade with each lap. Maybe it was mental, maybe the windy side of the was starting to affect me again. Somewhere near the end of the first mile Scott and I decided we would pause the stopwatch and do a fast walking lap. I hadn't walked yet so I knew I had made progress. In the end we had done 3 miles total, with a walking lap between miles 1 and 2, and 2 and 3. I was thrilled to feel how much stronger I was. It was still windy on one side of the ship. I still had to watch out for people as we ran (which makes me think we could have gone even faster actually), but I was faster and I didn't have to walk every lap. We averaged a pace of 9:13 per mile. Definitely faster than the first time I ran on a moving ship. :)
It's runs like this that I have to go back and remember when I have a bad run. I know they can't all be my best, but when they are bad, they affect me mentally and I start to question my ability. There's no reason for that though. I make new progress every day. Even seven years later.
There's something about running on a cruise ship, in the middle of a vast and overwhelming ocean, that challenges me. It's amazing. And wonderful. And difficult. And I WILL be doing it again. :)
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