Hello all,
Now that I am getting into the deeper waters of my race training I am having a lot more time on the road with my thoughts so my blog posts will become more numerous. Hope you all are up for it. Today I want to talk to you all a little bit about how it feels when you finish your run or race or whatever. It doesn't matter if it is 1 mile or 100 miles, we all share the same experiences. This post isn't so much for my running friends because you all already know this feeling, but so many people have never been able to experience that perfect moment when you get to go inside and take your shoes off. I may talk a lot about how good it feels to be running, and sure there is a freedom and a peace that is unbeatable when you are out there just working your body as nature intended. I am not going to lie to you all though, it is tough. Damned tough! This sport can seriously kick your ass and beat you down. There is pain, blisters, and complete to the bottom of your soul exhaustion.
I ran 11 miles this morning, to some that may seem like an unobtainable goal, and for others it is just a short easy stroll. For me, it is a challenging distance. I was pretty dog tired at the end of it, and even had to walk the last half mile or so because I was just beat down. It was hot and sweaty out there, and I lost 2 lbs of sweat despite drinking close to 2 liters of water. I wasn't fast but I left everything out there on the roads of backwoods Hammonton. Sometimes, this is not a sport for the weak of heart. After all that, I finished and unlaced my shoes. The fun wasn't over though, oh no. One moment may have ended but another perfect moment started.
First, you get to unlace your shoes from your tired and weary feet. Its almost like you can feel them sigh in pleasure, and even more so if the run was long enough and you apply ice to them. Then you get to start refueling and replenishing. I like to have a little protein and a little sugar so today I chose a cliff bar and a iced coffee from Wawa (that last part I don't recommend though) As you sit there chewing and sipping, you can feel whatever you are eating start to enter your body. Some of it might even be imaginary but your weary muscles start to spring back to life and your mind begins to calm. You become one with your body and the inner workings of it. The endorphins haven't quite left your system yet, but the pain your body released them to combat has stopped and everything is a pleasure. Whatever you may be eating tastes like ambrosia from the gods and even the water from the purest mountain stream can compete with the taste of the tap water from my faucet after a long hot run. You are present in your body but elevated at the same time. Its like you are in touch with the best you that you could possibly be.
Then comes the shower and the dry clothes, oh God, the dry fresh clothes. I could wax poetic about them for hours, how they feel on your skin as they slip over your head. Words can hardly do it justice for how amazing they feel. I won't though because I am getting pretty wordy here as it is. But I want to leave you with one final thought. If my talking about how good the running part feels never convinced you to lace up and join me, think on this idea. You will never get to feel how amazing it feels when you finish, and are on top of the world in mind and body. Positively brimming over with pride and pleasure. And how lucky am I, I get to do it all over again on Tuesday. Who is with me?