Monday 21 June 2010

No Pain, No Gain ...


Very very heavy legs... which after a week of increased mileage, unsurprising, but with a complete rest day yesterday, out of the ordinary! It started off very sluggish - as if I had just hoisted myself out of swamp water having run a hard cross-country race (were my trainers still wet from the Friday the week before? Not possible!) It was a warm evening so maybe the heat was also pushing me back... but this was just trudgy and groany and hard. After a kilometre or so - through quite a popular section with commuters making their way up from a nearby station (I normally like to go quick here as I feel my sport is on show!) ...I was frustrated this wasnt passing easily, but not to give up! I made my way to the canal, and on the flat ground I was able to hit a nice pace, and started easing up slowly. I mused over the day... I agonised over whether I had offended people... I had a moment thinking of my dad and how he would be smiling at me right now, which made me feel much better. I think a positive mental attitude...of not giving up, gritting teeth and powering through sometimes is the only way. Hard for some to comprehend, especially when nothing in their life has given them a unique 'drive' to succeed or survive! I really believe there is a factor there in a lot of successful runners, a strong core and a pain to overcome.... maybe in their life a pain they want to forget, helps to fuel the running. This is something I have thought about a lot...when I feel pain I think of the pain of losing my dad, of how much I would give for another day with him, and I can imagine similar things for others.. the pain of being seen as overweight, the pain of losing someone, of missing something significant in their life? I know how I can use these feelings to my advantage in a race...and dig really deep to not let it get the better of me. I know there are genuinely painful injuries that force a stubborn runner to stop in their tracks...to avoid running and to take the bench to their dismay. I am absolutely terrified of this happening to me.. I need the running like a drug, to settle my mind and to feel the pain again which takes all other pain away... this sounds rather scary when I read it back but it really is true. Important thing is to know your limits, to know when a niggle is just a niggle and to sensibly get back on track... so far so good - touch wood but the further the training goes the higher the risks I suppose.

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