I ran 15.32 miles. I just spent about 5 minutes trying to 'strike through' the word "ONLY", as in I "ONLY" ran 15.32 miles this week. Today I "ONLY" ran 7.2 miles - see the above photo - it was pouring rain and 40 degrees. And, it was the most wonderful run I have had in a long time. But after an hour, I was soaked to the skin and I was worried about my iPod and my cell phone. There were little puddles of water inside the pockets of my windbreaker! When I got inside my house, I stood in front of the washing machine and just stripped all that dripping wet stuff off me and put it directly into the washer. It really was glorious. Earlier this week I had such terrific hip pain, I decided to do some research. What I found scared the bejesus out of me. I thought I might have a stress fracture of the neck of the femur. Oh man. So I took a few days off. On Thursday I went to the pool and was encouraged that a half mile swim was totally painless, so I decided that I do not have a fracture. As I said, my run today was great, so I am not so worried. I know I can run the half-marathon, but I don't know if I can live through the training!
I found another great quote this week. I subscribed to Runner's World magazine and they sent me a little booklet called "Get Motivated Stay Motivated." I have become quite fond of John Bingham (The Penguin). I can so relate to so much of what he says. Here is a great quote from him in the book:
"My running shoes have become giant erasers on my feet. Every footstrike rubs away some memory of a previous indiscretion with food or smoke or drink. Every successful mile releases me from the grip of the demons of failure. Every starting line is another chance to prove that my past will not determine my future.
"When I am running, in training or in a race, I imagine myself as strong and swift and elegant. When I am running, I imagine myself striding gracefully through life with courage and pride. When I am running, I forget my failures as a child or parent or friend or lover. Through running, I create myself as I have always wanted to be."
He just described me to a "T"!
3 comments:
I can't wait for my subscription to start! What great thoughts from the Penguin; I just hope I can keep them in mind next time I'm out there. Thanks so much for writing them down and sharing your own great running experience.
Great blog! Congratulations on your sobriety, too.
The Penguin really is an inspirational person and really cuts to the core of why so many of us really do this.
Well, if you were able to run pain-free after just a few days off, it probably isn't a stress fracture...they don't go away quite that easy. If you are running 15 miles in a week and 7 miles in the rain like that, I don't think you are going to have any problem with the half-marathon. Just keep up the good work, it will pay off!
That's awesome. I love the quotes. You are going to do great on the half.
Great job on the run. I love running in the rain. I know it's weird, but it's such a nice relief from the Miami humidity.
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