Sioux City, IA

Perry Creek Trail

Running Time: 56:51 + 2-minute kick

I might already have an entry for Sioux City, IA. I know I have stayed here before, in the same hotel downtown, and ate at the same hipster restaurant right next door, and I think ordered the same jambalaya both times. I did not run on the Perry Creek Trail the first time I was here – I believe it was late winter and I did not run while in town.

The trail started about four blocks from the hotel, which was just far enough to be asked for help by a homeless couple. I had nothing but my room key, so I was no help. The trail started along railroad tracks – nothing better than the aroma of creosote in your lungs at the start of a long run.

The trail crossed Perry Creek a couple of times, and dove under cross streets at most intersections. I ran along unpaved connecting sections of the dike on either side of the creek to stay off the concrete. This led to unplanned excursions through empty fields and old neighborhoods and fast food parking lots.

When I started running regularly about 5 years ago, I started at 25 minutes and worked my way to longer run times gradually. I had real trouble running in the later afternoons and evenings after work. My late morning weekend runs were always much easier, so I started running longer times on weekends. I can’t remember what the split was – maybe 40-30. Every day that I ran the full time, I would add a few seconds to the next day’s run, but one goal I had was to equalize my weekday and weekend run times. Eventually I settled on adding 4 seconds to my weekday time and 1.5 seconds to my weekend time after a longer weekend run, and adding 3 seconds to my weekday time and 1 second to my weekend time after a weekday run.. Any day that I did not run, I would subtract 0.5 second from both. If I did a run that was less than full time, I would prorate the increase accordingly. If I walked the full run time, I would not subtract the 0.5 second from both times for not running.

I know – complicated. In the week before I left Utah, on my second-to-last run there, my weekday and weekend times coincided. My weekday time caught up with my weekend time. I now have one run time for whatever day it is. If I run my full time, I add 2 seconds to the next day. If I miss a day, I subtract the 0.5 second. The walking and partial run modifications will stay the same. It is still easier for me to run late mornings, but not much more.

I know that adding 2 seconds a day is a very small amount, and that it takes months to increase my run times meaningfully, but hey, I am almost up to an hour, and for me it is quality first, quantity second. I have never thought that running was fun, but it is a ritual for me now. I run the way I want to – no stretching or warm-up. Rest days are good, but I feel restless when I don’t run. When I am outside, it feels strange to walk somewhere and natural to run.

The best part of the run for me is still when I stop, but there are moments when I feel exhilaration at picking up the pace or breathing long, deep breaths. I plan to stick with it as long as my body and brain will let me.