Good morning! Hope that you are having an outstanding Labor Day weekend. I'm having a pretty good one as my parents and their friends came up to Indianapolis for a visit. We went to the Drag Racing Nationals on Friday evening and then hung out a bit yesterday. Sarah is in Atlanta completing an away rotation and Myles and I miss her very much. Yesterday, was an awful football day for both Sarah and I. We both root for IU and Georgia and they both lost. Sometimes...that's just the way it goes.
I'm very excited about tonight. For the first time in three months I'm racing. Since my last race in early June I've run over 650 miles and have really gotten into shape. The race is the Ripple Effect in Broadripple and it starts at 7p. I ran in this race last year and had a great time and a great race finishing in 22:47. I really am not sure what sort of time I'll run tonight. I've posted tempo runs of 23:39 for four miles and 29:43 for five miles by myself on a track. I also ran 12 mile repeats with one minute rest in between each repeat on Thursday morning and kept every mile between 5:51 and 5:57. Usually, I run faster in races so we will see. No matter what, it's a great way to see where I'm at and to have some fun.
I'll tell you one thing about my personal running journey and how it relates to Indiana football and then to life. So...last night I went to the Indiana football game and they started off great. They scored on 3/4 possessions and looked better than in years past. Then...Ball State hit him back, stayed tough, and took it from Indiana. They broke that tackle for a couple extra yards, they made sure to get first downs at the end of the game to ice the clock, and they stopped IU. Ball State was much more mentally tough than IU. Of course, this upset me and I had to analyze it and it made me think of my workouts from last week. In each marathon specific workout (Tempo Run/Red Mile--mile repeats), there was a point at which I was not sure if I could achieve my workout goal. In fact, for just a couple seconds on both days (Monday/Thursday) I considered compromising my goal. And then...I thought about the fact that if I want to run a 2:39 marathon on 11/5, then I have to push through fatigue and pain to train my body to fight through it. If I want to be a 2:39 marathoner, then I have to train like a 2:39 marathoner. Most of us are capable of running through more than we give ourselves credit for. It's just that we don't practice getting through it. So...on both days I said to myself ("attack or be attacked") and I decided to attack the fatigue, hold my pace, and reach down deep. I know that if I continue to practice this, as I have in the past, then I'll reach my goals. In watching IU last night, I just did not see a team that was willing to reach down deep and do what was required to reach a goal (to win). Ball State had it. Indiana did not.
I believe that this same principle applies to one's life. There are roadblocks we all face and some folks have many more than others. There is not much one can do about a roadblock that is set in front of them. However, there is a lot one can do to get past the roadblock. Personally, during the times in my life when I've decided I could overcome a roadblock despite what the roadblock was then it happened. On the flip side, when I've let the roadblock dictate my actions then it's stopped me. Attack or be attacked! Be the driver or be the passenger along for the ride. Everyday, running presents me with the option of getting through a roadblock or just stopping and giving into fatigue. Every time that I choose to find a way, then it just helps me do that in other areas of life as well.
Have a great Sunday. If you are in the Broadripple area tonight around 7p then say hello! Happy running to you...
No comments:
Post a Comment