There comes a point in every long run when I wonder what the heck I’m doing out there. Very little of it makes sense, really. Waking up at 4:40. Putting my knees and ankles through the pounding routine. For that matter, paying to do all of it. Shoes. Races. Training. All for what?
Today we set out for a nice 12-mile run with 4 hill repeats. No problem. This week I was ready for those hills. I did seven hill repeats in training this week – the six required and an extra for good measure. Those hills were not going to beat me. I ate a banana before my run in hopes of not getting another never-ending leg cramp. I was going to knock out those 12 miles and not be last in my group. Except what was billed as 12 miles was really 12.7. Add in the hills and we were pushing 13.6. What the? How’s that fair? Like I said, it doesn’t always make sense.
But more than just a reason to get out and run, and maybe most importantly, there needs to be a reason to keep running. To keep running when the side stitches kick in at mile 9. To keep running when your watch says 12 and you’re nowhere near the finish. The worst – to turn right when you can see the lake straight ahead (which will get you to the finish) and it makes no sense to run the other direction. There has to be another reason to keep going other than your car being back at the starting line. Because, I’m pretty sure that if I’d lain down by the side of the path someone would have scooped me up and taken me back to my car.
So why keep going? Simple. It’s beyond reason. It makes no sense. Period. But for some reason I love it, and I keep doing it to myself. Pray for me. Better yet, let’s just hope the people who are ready to give up – at anything they might be doing – realize that sometimes it just doesn’t make sense. There may be no reason other than being able to look back and say, “I tackled that and I survived.”
120 days to go
Today we set out for a nice 12-mile run with 4 hill repeats. No problem. This week I was ready for those hills. I did seven hill repeats in training this week – the six required and an extra for good measure. Those hills were not going to beat me. I ate a banana before my run in hopes of not getting another never-ending leg cramp. I was going to knock out those 12 miles and not be last in my group. Except what was billed as 12 miles was really 12.7. Add in the hills and we were pushing 13.6. What the? How’s that fair? Like I said, it doesn’t always make sense.
But more than just a reason to get out and run, and maybe most importantly, there needs to be a reason to keep running. To keep running when the side stitches kick in at mile 9. To keep running when your watch says 12 and you’re nowhere near the finish. The worst – to turn right when you can see the lake straight ahead (which will get you to the finish) and it makes no sense to run the other direction. There has to be another reason to keep going other than your car being back at the starting line. Because, I’m pretty sure that if I’d lain down by the side of the path someone would have scooped me up and taken me back to my car.
So why keep going? Simple. It’s beyond reason. It makes no sense. Period. But for some reason I love it, and I keep doing it to myself. Pray for me. Better yet, let’s just hope the people who are ready to give up – at anything they might be doing – realize that sometimes it just doesn’t make sense. There may be no reason other than being able to look back and say, “I tackled that and I survived.”
120 days to go
No comments:
Post a Comment