Honestly . . . something like this is nothing you want to see. Ever! There is nothing pretty or exciting about an old fashioned ass-kickin! I was embarrassed to have seen it.
Things started innocently enough! This was to be my first day back running after my torn retina so I was excited to be going for a run again . . . 11 days off was frustrating to go through, so to return today (with my doctor's blessing!) was something I had been excitedly anticipating.
Now to be totally honest with all you young runners . . . things change as you get older. Recovery times just plain take longer. That's true from both a hard run and from injuries. And building back endurance takes longer too!
So I was anxious to get back running! I have races to do!!
Today's weather was simply awesome! I started at about 9am so the temperatures were in the low 60s, no wind, and I was running again!! Sure there were the little aches and pains I've come to expect . . . hip tightens, foot starts hurting some, plus I was coming back so nothing should feel great yet!
But spirits were high and my mood was "over the top"! I had no idea what I was about to witness . . .
My first hint that something strange was in the air came at about 3/4 of a mile into the run. I had finished two fairly big hills and was going to my first turn-around when I just had a strange feeling that I was going to experience something troubling . . . just couldn't put my finger on the feeling . . . but I sort of knew something bad was about to happen.
I kept running . . . constantly checking my vision just to be sure the ol' retina was behaving . . . and it was! My vision isn't very good right now. It's like I have literally 10,000 little bitty "floaters . . . it's like looking through a really dirty windshield . . . or maybe looking through a screen! My doctor says this is nothing to worry about and my vision will improve. So I kept running . . .
At about 1.7 miles I started looking around . . . feeling impending doom. Just an odd feeling and I was looking around for trouble. The neighborhood is a nice neighborhood and trouble honestly seemed far-fetched . . . but the feeling was strong.
But no one was out! Nobody was walking, nobody was working in their yard, nobody was running . . . just me and the road. And then . . . I knew what was about to happen.
At 1.75 miles into my run I had to walk. Maybe it was mental . . . or maybe it was physical. But either way . . . the ass-kickin' had begun. Come on . . . walking at 1.75 miles. Oh my . . .
I tried to "out run" the worst of the beating . . . but that tactic proved pretty stupid! After walking 30 yards or so, I started running again. Made it 1/2 mile . . . then another walk . . . and more ass-kickin' blows to the gut. Running again . . . but not as far this time. More walking.
By the end I was running 3 minutes and walking 1 . . . all on a 4.6 mile run.
And mentally I knew what an ass-kickin' it had really been. Honestly . . . it was just plain embarrassing!
But tomorrow is another day . . .and my resolve is strong. You NEVER have two bad runs in a row. Ever!
But I've got to admit I'm starting to question just how realistic participating in Vol State is! I mean really . . . can I build up enough strength to complete 314 miles in 10 days? Is this even possible? Really?
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