Wednesday, May 27, 2009

The beginning...again

Starting over kinda sucks. After running 26.2 it’s a real pisser to huff my way through a few lousy miles. I did 3 miles tonight, which translates to 1 mile of running, .75 mile walk, followed by another mile of running and then a .25 mile walk. During the last .25 of the second “run” I started to feel like my body was literally going to fall apart. It’s incredible how much my feelings can vary during a run. I started out pretty strong, trotting along, and then Dave got home. For some reason, every time he infringes on my “running space”, I immediately get distracted and have the almost irrepressible urge to STOP running. All of a sudden I notice I’m tired/sore/in need of water. It is quite irritating (the urge to stop, not Dave, he's awesome). I guess it might be b/c when no one else is there I let myself get into the zone. I stare straight ahead and am totally immersed in what I’m doing. Then he walks in and BOOM. I want to stop and talk to him or start cooking dinner or get online or whatever the hell else. His presence sucks the force right out of my body and my concentration goes out the window. I’m able to get my focus back but the phenomenon leads me to believe that I’m just a loner when it comes to running. During my last marathon I trained almost entirely alone (and on a treadmill). You’d think that having another person there to talk to would be a welcome distraction but that isn’t the case with me. I have to get into my own head and work things out. For awhile I have been convinced that I have adult-onset A.D.D. Seriously. I'm like a small child, it's ridiculous. I could provide at least 5 examples off the top of my head but it's late and Dave is yelling at me to come to bed. The A.D.D. theory may explain why I do well inside on a treadmill. There are a helluva lot fewer distractions (and things to make me feel self-conscious) in a room staring out the window than there are out on the road. Oy. Enough psychoanalyzing, back to the recap. There were a few times during the run that my step felt light and springy and I felt like I was a carefree 8 year old running around the neighborhood. I love that. I hope to have the feeling more often.

It’s tough to beat the feeling that comes over me after I’m done running. I feel strong, calm and pleasantly exhausted. Maybe if I write this down and read it repeatedly it will be enough to get my ass on the road (or treadmill) tomorrow. :)
"If you think you can, or think you can't, you're right."

~Henry Ford