7/25/2007 – From that day on, if I was ever going somewhere, I was running!

So, my running prescription from beloved Doc was a progression of slow treadmill, to faster paced treadmill, to outdoor track, to pavement, to soccer field. Well, I need to be on a soccer field in 11 days so I decided that it was time to kick start this progression.

So, early this morning Righty and I pedaled out to Washington and Lee H.S. and hit the track. Typically, I hate running on a track. I need scenery and forward progress to distract me from the usual monotony of running. And running round and round and round is not at all distracting and is totally uninspiring (this is why I find NASCAR’s rabid fan base unfathomable) Anyway, since just being able to run is now a thrilling exercise in pain thresholds and patience I don’t really need any distractions. The monotony of circling a track is now as compelling as the beach sequence in Chariots of Fire. Unfortunately I didn’t have that song on my iPod or I totally would have been rocking out.

I decided I would aim for 2 miles and depending on how I felt I would go for one more but I agreed (yes with myself) that regardless of how good I was feeling that I would cap it at 3 miles. So, I did the first mile and felt pretty ok and decided that the second mile needed to be faster. So I finished mile 2 fifty seconds faster than mile 1 and decided that I had an even faster mile 3 in me. This is why beloved Doc didn’t want me doing this alone. I am incapable of not pushing harder. It can be a good trait of mine but it can also be a tragic one. Left to my own devices I might accomplish great things by destroying myself in the process. This is why God does not leave me to my own devices very often, well or ever.

Well I pushed and I finished the 3^rd mile 65 seconds faster than the 2^nd mile. And thanks to all the great coaches I have had in my life this ran through my head: “You know, that just means you didn’t push yourself hard enough on the first 2 miles. What you save you lose.”

For the first time in weeks my heart was pounding in my ears and my lungs hurt for want of breath. I had sweat in my eyes and dripping off my chin and elbows. Side note: I love sweating, Christine thinks I am insane for this but that makes it no less true. I actually had a really hard time when I lived in Denver because I would run for hours out there and never sweat. It’s so dry there it sucks the sweat right out of your pours. It’s very unfulfilling. Anyway, I digress. I was tired and sweaty and happy because Righty held up. As I walked my cool down lap I paid very close attention to the pain signals emanating from my lower right extremity. There were a few familiar pains but rather dull, a 3 (if you will KB) on that stupid pain threshold scale. And there were a few bandwagon pains in my foot and calf. But overall, we were doing just fine.

I pedaled home, stuck Righty in an ice bucket and got my day off to a good start. I hope you all are having a good day too.