"Believe in the run." - Nike
Miles Ran: 153.56 Dollars Raised: $866.20
Wow...I would dare to say that today was one of the hardest workouts I've ever done, but I bet it doesn't look like it from the smile on my face and my Stewart-look-what-I-can-do! sort of running jump thing!
My morning started off by me sleeping in 1/2 an hour late, so thank goodness I had prepared everything last night. Driving through the terribly, if at all, snow plowed roads I felt very anxious and was yelling at anyone that forgot how to drive when they see snow. This leads me into what I came to realize today.. my fear of the unknown.
Part of the reason I hate driving to new places is a) I don't know what to expect, b) I refuse to be late anywhere, and c) I have no idea what to look for except down at my directions which, d) usually are vague and lead me astray.
I also get uncomfortable running into the unknown. There's something about not knowing what hills, or slick road, or pot hole lies ahead that makes me nervous. I also don't know where or when I should be conserving my energy because around the corner there is (surprise!) a mile long steep hill (no joke, that's what I ran up today at mile 9). Basically, I hate the feeling of being unprepared, and not knowing what lies ahead (driving, or running) really gets to me.
The run itself today was brutal and awesome at the same time. We all started off together in one big pack, and then slowly drifted into our own paces. On the way to our halfway point, the roads were ridiculous. There were some points
where I was running uphill with another guy, and we looked at each other and said, "I'm running and I'm not going anywhere!" The roads were just so slushy and slick that it took twice as much effort to move. Then after that insane workout, we had an uphill battle for the majority of the way back. Not to mention the cars, who were not very nice to get as far away from us as possible, and the snow plows, who when they would go by would kick up all of this slush and just lay it on you thick.I got to thinking last night... I'm not devoted to a religion, though I would consider myself Protestant, but running has become like a religion to me in that it's something VERY big, takes over my mind and body, is something I believe in, gives me time for reflection, and is a way of life. I do believe that there is something "bigger" out there, but I haven't defined it yet, so maybe for now, running can be that for me. Going for a run is like my meditation or prayer, and going to our group runs is like going to church! I'm reading Eat, Pray, Love right now, and there's a part where the author goes to an Ashram in India to practice yoga for 3 months. She tries out different mantras to repeat over and over to clear her mind and finally be taken to that "higher place." And it was funny because the other day Katharine and I were talking about how sometimes focusing on certain words takes your attention away from the pain or the challenge of a run, and gives you something to pour your energy into. So today my "mantra" on the 2nd leg of the run was "short (inhale) strides (exhale) keep (step) those (step) legs (step) up (step)." I must have said it at least 500 times in my head to help get me through when I didn't think my legs could take anymore.
So I guess you could say I'm a devoted and practicing runner :)
No comments:
Post a Comment