After about 7 or so miles (went Garmin-less, thanks Danica), I trotted back in the dark to our cars while Stuart finished off his run. I was pretty beat up and my legs haven't been this thrashed in awhile, but it was a good feeling to really go hard again. Also counts as my longest run to date post-injury.
__________________
Speaking of my injury, it's quite literally been a long road back. Weight? Up. Fitness? Gone. But my love for running? It's stronger than ever.
The old adage you don't know what you have until it's gone? Very true here.
Yes, I'm nearly a full 20 pounds heavier than I was around this time last year. And yes, my paces are down by more than a full minute. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a little worried about these two things.
But what of it? You slide all the way down to the base of mountain, your options are: A) waste your time bitching and in turn not budge an inch, OR B) look up the face of the mountain and say I'll summit this mountain once more. Only this time, really take the time to appreciate the view. That pretty much sums up my running lately.
While gains in time and distance can serve as a quantifiable barometer in how much we get back of what we put in, it's not the only thing. 99% of us will never break tape or run neck-and-neck til the finish with the giants of our sport. So why not enjoy the journey a little bit more?
At the end of the day, it's a hobby for most of us. Something we're supposed to actually enjoy. The physiological benefits of it is simply a by-product of breaking a sweat and getting the heart going. It should never be the other way around. Remember that the next time you lace up.
I hope it your case, it doesn't take an injury for you to realize this.
11 comments:
Great to get the miles in with you, you fitness and speed will come back in time.
Great post - good sentiment!
Very well said, Billy. I'm glad that you went out there and did your best, even though you might not have felt like a million bucks. You'll get that speed/endurance back in no time. Injuries suck.
And um, where the hell are you keeping this "extra 20 lbs" sir??
Great post Billy! I'm with Zoe on the extra weight. Where are you hiding it?
Good stuff. I gained about 10 lbs after my stress fx, but I've lost most of it. Your running paces will come back surprisingly quickly, as well. Looking forward to running together in the future!
Great post! You're preaching to the choir on this one. Congrats on getting back into the groove. Muscle memory is an amazing thing. You'll be back on top in no time.
love this post billy :) so happy you are able to get back out there! it will all come back quickly, but so glad that the heart is there more than ever :)
nice job. are you sucking air there?
I could not agree more. An historic and great runner, Sister Marion Irvine who qual'd for the OT Marathon at age 54, said you're not really a RUNNER until you've suffered an injury that makes you not able to run at all. It really puts things into perspective. Just like Meb said, enjoy every step because you never know when you won't be able to take even one anymore. And no worries about the weight. We all know that comes off when we work consistently. :)
I aggree 100 percent with this post.
It is all about having fun and not taking it too seriously.
Amen, we do it for the LOVE! Great post.
Glad the foot is holding up...
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