Happy Labor Day!
One of my favorite times of year is right now. We are transitioning to fall weather and I'm loving it! It was just in the 90's a few days ago and now we're in the 50's at night. It's also amazing to feel the difference in running. I have more energy and am not sweating away with each step. I'm sure there will be more warm weather coming still but the change has begun. Let's enjoy this while it is here because before we know it, winter will start kicking the door in.
This last week has been a welcome return to CONSISTENT training. I hit 30 miles for the week and was getting tough on myself because I am supposed to be over 40 by now. Then I realized that I had taken 3 days off for recovery/healing. My miles for this week (after taking today off) should be around 38. I'm starting to do some pace runs (running at marathon pace of 6:50) and some tempo runs soon. With another Ragnar (Napa) a week from this Friday, my workouts need more adjusting. I need to focus on not killing myself in Napa and avoid needing some more rest/recovery to heal. I'll try and be smart this time, I promise.
The highlight to this week's training came yesterday. I went out on a 13 miler and found that my target pace was rather easy to maintain. After a few miles, I found my stride (pun totally intended) and was really getting into the run. I found that I was able to focus on everything except the miles and pace. I was getting lost in the run and loving every step of it. The trees were greener, and the ground softer. I could feel the wind blowing through me instead of slowing me down. I swear that every cell exposed to the elements was in that moment and I was experiencing the oneness that I get during long runs. In those moments, the trivial things that we place importance on just melt away. I did not care about anything except the experience I was being overtaken by and how I was striding to prolong each second within it. There are people that do not believe in a runner's high. I feel sorry for those individuals because they are either not in a place within themselves to allow them to experience such moment, or they just don't know how to let go and let the run take over. Read this next section and close your eyes to imagine this...
You are running along a path surrounded by trees that are vibrant and very green. The sun breaks through spots at random streaming through paths of light. Below you is the river running along but flowing in the opposite direction which makes you feel like you are going faster than you are. The smells and the sounds intoxicate your senses as you start to drift, drift, drift into a state of relaxation and peace. Your ears catch the sounds of birds and squirrels chasing each other around the trunks of trees. Cars and bikers pass by above the path but the sounds are so faint because your senses are so focused on the present moment of life happening all around you. The breeze blows through and you feel it on every inch of skin. The coolness dries the sweat that was starting to bead up on your brow and you get a sudden rush of energy. You are no longer running on this path that has aspects of nature around you. You are now a tiny contributor to the vastness of life happening around, to, and within you. The zit on your forehead no longer matters. The report you need to finish by the end of the week does not exist. The fight you had with your significant other never happened. In these moments, life gets simple and allows you to appreciate it for what it is. It is different for everybody but in these moments your worries, stresses, and anything draining you mentally just slips away into an area of unimportance. These things do not go away for good. They will be there to tackle when it is time. For these last seconds, minutes, or even hours, they cease to exist and cease to affect you negatively. Your runner's high allowed you to escape and return with a new found clarity and calm.
I encourage everybody that is able to walk, jog, or run to try this. Lose yourself in your runs and they will bring new meaning and joy to the run as well as your life. I believe this and you will to.
That's all for this week. See you out there.
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