Nonstop Action

Dragging myself out of bed on this holiday weekend was pretty rough. Fortunately I didn’t listen to the devil on my shoulder and drink booze with my barbeque the day before. I was pretty energized though and eager to take on our new distance of 8 miles.

Our run started off like previous runs with runners sifting into their respective running groups. Today I found myself running with our assistant coach Cole. My running regimen to date has been run 8 minutes walk 1 minute, but today Cole had it in his mind to change this plan. Upon stopping for my usual one minute walk he lit the fire under my ass and said that this was no longer my strategy… I was one of the strongest runners on the team and I was to run NONSTOP for now on. While his savory compliments fed my ego for the time being, I did feel deep down that the occasional one minute walk would ultimately prevent injury. I pressed on though.

As I made my way through the deeper mileage, I could feel my body starting to fatigue prematurely. Pain had set in - a maddening pain that resonated throughout my entire running system. I was up against the wall, and the demons in my head were rearing there nasty voices. I now had to find it deep within in myself to forge ahead and finish out the last few miles.

I hit the water stand and splashed some cold something down my throat. The final two miles were ahead of me and I was ready to kick my own ass. I found my zone, narrowly squeezing out my demons, and hit the path hard. My pain started to subside and I was able to yank myself back into the game. As I neared what I deemed the ‘final stretch’ our coach Brett met up with me to bring in the last mile.

I crossed the finish line with an uncertain sense of accomplishment. I had run 8 miles nonstop, but I didn’t feel good about it. I felt deep down that my overall run suffered. I fatigued way too early in my run, which led to a significant decrease in my pace. I did like running longer in between breaks though. Hmmmm?.. something to work on I guess.

Hanging out at the finish line and bringing our team in with clapping and cheering was a good end to my run. Our team is starting to get pretty tight with each other, and more people are jumping in to offer encouragement to others. I think the longer distances are sparking a bit of comradery in our team.

All for now. Try and keep up.