A Pain in the A$$ Run

Distance: 10.01 Miles
Pace: 10’27″

Today was the final make up day - a ten mile run plus two P90X workouts.  With these behind me, I will be back on track.  Before hitting the street, I was already sore.  It wasn’t just the thought of a run and two workouts ahead of me, I was actually sore from  the P90X workout, Core Synergistic, which kicked my butt yesterday.  It fact, that was the most sore part of my body.  Running sore is no treat.  Any soreness below the waist is only made worse by the run.  Of course, knowing and hoping are not the same thing.  I figured if I could last long enough, endorphins should kick in and wash away the pain.  Well, that was the plan at least.  The best laid plans…never work.

Around mile three I was finally distracted from soreness by a podcast.  Distraction from soreness is not the same from having no soreness.  Did I make the right choice to get out there?  My pace was not below ten minutes, and the run was a struggle.  I don’t want to over train.  At the same time, I don’t want to give myself an excuse not to run.  Anyone who has “tried” to run, does not need more excuses to not run.  One of my biggest fears is not that I will hurt myself, it is that I will quit.  If I quit, I’ll fall back into my old habits.  The weight and the gut will return with a vengeance and take no prisoners.  At the end of the day, quitting is a choice.  It is a choice that can spiral out of control.  It starts as, “maybe I’ll skip this run,” or “I’ve had a long day, I’ll do it tomorrow.”  If you say it too many times the next thought is, “can I still run?”

To get me through it, I stick to the plan.  It is twelve weeks long, and it must be followed.  Going on a business trip?  Make it work.  If you don’t allow yourself the option to give excuses, you won’t have any.

What keeps you going?

Next Run: 6 Miles (Tuesday)
Next Workout:  P90X (Disc 04) (Wednesday)
Next Race: Burlington Race for the Hungry 5K

Suggestions? rebuildingroberts@gmail.com

Running the Lacuna Coil

Distance: 6.1 Miles
Pace: 10’06″

This run was originally scheduled for Thursday.  When it came time to run, I was dressed and ready.  Suddenly, I could not bring myself to do it.  I knew that if I hit the road, my pace would be bad, I would hate the run, and I would question the entire way why was I doing this to myself.  It was one of those days.  I made a decision, I would postpone the run until Friday.  Of course on Friday I would get home later and I was scheduled for a P90X workout.  Not only did I need to postpone my run, I needed to push everything back by a day and double up on Sunday coming up.  Was that a better plan than just going out for the six miles?  Yes.  I slept for 8 hours immediately after making that decision, which is very rare for me these days…and it was glorious!

Cover of Shallow Life

For the 6 milers I choose not to listen to a podcast.  Today I needed some upbeat music to help my pace.  The random choice today, Lacuna Coil and their album, Shallow Life.  I turned it up and hit the road.  As a whole, the album is decent.  It is better than that, it was good.  For those that don’t know, Lacuna Coil is an Italian gothic metal band.  Shallow Life is their 2008 album.  They are similar to Evanescence.  It played well for the run.  The beat kept me moving and it wasn’t distracting.  I still need to keep myself motivated during some runs.  I still find myself questioning why I put myself through this for the first two miles.  And even after the first two, you can see from my pace that it wasn’t the best run.

During the last mile of my run, I fell into a groove.  It was a strange sensation.  My sight began to tunnel.  The world blurred save the road ahead.  Each footfall landed softly, and each stride had a slight bounce.  I was watching someone else run.  The only disruption came from sharp turns, and then for only a moment.  The pace of my last mile was almost an entire minute faster than the other five.  If I can harness that rhythm from the beginning, I can get my pace consistently under ten minutes, and one day, even south of nine.

The only downside fo finding the groove was that I was left alone with my thoughts.  Some of the thoughts were interesting, and some worrisome.  First I passed a house that had a Christmas tree already set up and decorated in the front window.  A Christmas tree?  So many stores are already getting ready for the Christmas season, but people too?  What about Thanksgiving?  We just had Halloween.  Are stores so desperate to get people to spend that they want to remind people to buy their holiday gifts now and not wait?  Can’t we just hold off for once?  Target is opening their doors at Midnight on Black Friday.  They say it is to protect their customers.  It is to be the first ones to open.  Call me a purist, but I don’t like to even think about Christmas until the 4 am Black Friday sales after Thanksgiving.

It has now been six years since I moved to New Jersey.  This is now the longest I have lived in one place without moving.  My wanderlust  is kicking into high gear.  Fighting the distraction is a daily battle.  Growing up I moved every three to five years.  And now it has been six.  It is an urge that is hard to explain.  Routine becomes the enemy.  The constant moving gave me to skill set to adapt rapidly with people and my surroundings.  It seems this wanderlust is the cost.  How do I turn this weakness into a strength?  Maybe I should start traveling to races.

Next Run: 10 Miles (Sunday)
Next Workout:  P90X (Disc 08) (Saturday)
Next Race: Burlington Race for the Hungry 5K

Suggestions? rebuildingroberts@gmail.com