A brief moment
When I’ve looked to the skies the last few days the only thing I’ve seen is gray. At times it might be a lighter or darker shade as it prepares to rain once again. Even with the strong winds the clouds are backlogged as they continue to roll in one after the other. Cold, windy, rainy, and just plain blah is my description of our weather of late. As I sat on my couch like a bum on Sunday around noon I leaned my head back to see if by chance things had changed. As I peered through the window I noticed a small speck of a different color. It was blue. Though it was only a matter of days it seemed much longer since I’d last seen that beautiful color in between the clouds. As glad as I was to see a break in the clouds I couldn’t help but wonder if Mother Nature was just jerking me around and that the blue would be swallowed up in a matter of minutes.
I checked back again in a bit and it was still there and I could see the sun shining of the leaves of the trees. This time I got to my knees to get a better look. Is this for real? Could this be the break in the weather that I’ve been waiting for all weekend? Am I really going to be able to get out and train like I’ve been meaning too all weekend? After a little more time had passed I was convinced that there was going to be a long enough break in the weather to get my long run in. I had a banana and changed as I got ready to head out. I was a little nervous because I’d had a bigger breakfast earlier when the weather had been crappy and I was convinced that it would be many hours before I was able to get out if at all. The plan was 10 miles. I decided to take the iPod, strapped on my watch and I was out the door.
The first 20 minutes were shear bliss. The sun was starting to really break through the clouds and it felt great. I was starting to wonder could this really hold up and why hadn’t I brought my sunglasses. The answer to both came only a few miles into my run as the clouds did overtake the sun once again. Almost like clockwork the sun departed and my stomach worries returned. I felt like I was carrying a brick in the pit of my stomach and it was a constant reminder of my earlier stupidity. After a bit of water at mile 7 my stomach pains eased a bit as I pushed towards the end. I picked up the pace over the last couple miles including the two hills that awaited me before the finish.
I came around the last bend that is slightly downhill feeling as if it was a race. It hadn’t been an easy run, but I was done and that’s all that mattered. I grabbed some more water and sucked down a Gu before walking back to my apartment. The walk back was quite and peaceful as I had turned off the music. I was tired, but yet content with my efforts and smiled most of the way home. The sun may have left the sky but I was still beaming. It wasn’t the fastest or greatest run that I’ve ever had but I finished and some days that’s all that matters…
Quote of the Day: Success is the ability to go from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm. - Winston Churchill
I checked back again in a bit and it was still there and I could see the sun shining of the leaves of the trees. This time I got to my knees to get a better look. Is this for real? Could this be the break in the weather that I’ve been waiting for all weekend? Am I really going to be able to get out and train like I’ve been meaning too all weekend? After a little more time had passed I was convinced that there was going to be a long enough break in the weather to get my long run in. I had a banana and changed as I got ready to head out. I was a little nervous because I’d had a bigger breakfast earlier when the weather had been crappy and I was convinced that it would be many hours before I was able to get out if at all. The plan was 10 miles. I decided to take the iPod, strapped on my watch and I was out the door.
The first 20 minutes were shear bliss. The sun was starting to really break through the clouds and it felt great. I was starting to wonder could this really hold up and why hadn’t I brought my sunglasses. The answer to both came only a few miles into my run as the clouds did overtake the sun once again. Almost like clockwork the sun departed and my stomach worries returned. I felt like I was carrying a brick in the pit of my stomach and it was a constant reminder of my earlier stupidity. After a bit of water at mile 7 my stomach pains eased a bit as I pushed towards the end. I picked up the pace over the last couple miles including the two hills that awaited me before the finish.
I came around the last bend that is slightly downhill feeling as if it was a race. It hadn’t been an easy run, but I was done and that’s all that mattered. I grabbed some more water and sucked down a Gu before walking back to my apartment. The walk back was quite and peaceful as I had turned off the music. I was tired, but yet content with my efforts and smiled most of the way home. The sun may have left the sky but I was still beaming. It wasn’t the fastest or greatest run that I’ve ever had but I finished and some days that’s all that matters…
Quote of the Day: Success is the ability to go from one failure to another with no loss of enthusiasm. - Winston Churchill
posted by walchka at 6:51 AM
2 Comments:
Way to get out there and beat the weather! :) We've got a huge green mass hovering over us (according to the weather channel) for about the next 5 days...ugh...must be what you guys have!
Well, it's hot as hell in SF, which can only mean good weather is in your future. (You know, it's like 75 here...)
Anyway, sounds like it was a tough weekend for long runs for lots of people. Glad you were able to finish, though.
In hindsight, the runs we struggle to finish are more impressive than the ones we fly through.
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