Thursday, April 10, 2008

On the Run

108 Days to go

Things have been pretty hectic lately, and I've been reintroduced to the benefits of running to relieve stress. I know it's not supposed to be a solution, but it's at least a good distraction for a while.

I think a lot of it stems from the fact that I literally can't really do anything else when I am running. It's impossible to turn your mind off, but when you're 2 miles into a 3.5 mile run, there's a slight shift in focus, or at least a temporary goal that you start to strive toward.

I ran Lake Scranton yesterday - quite fast for the "easy run" that I had planned. I noticed early on that I was running faster than planned, but kept it up anyway. I passed a 'walker' who decided that he should start running when he saw me pass him. He took off, probably now 30 seconds into his running (myself at about 25 minutes). Eventually, he was up ahead, out of sight.



Can I catch him? Can I get to him before he gets to his car? This was my new goal. This kid's got nothing on me. Steady. No sprinting to the finish. He's got to get tired. There's no way he can keep that pace. I catch a glimpse around a corner far ahead. Constant and steady; that's the only way I can get him. My feet don't listen. They speed up. My lungs prepare for what is coming. They know they're up next. "Constant and steady" becomes "increasingly faster". He's about 60 yards ahead of me now, and he has no idea what I have for him in response to his actions. It's futile now. There's nothing he can do. There's less than half a mile left now, and I know I can't keep increasing my speed. I need to maintain now. My body neglects to agree with my mind. Arms are pumping, lungs are burning, feet are churning. He knows I'm here now. His slowed jog turns into an increased labored run. He makes his last mistake when he glances back at me to see how close I am. Obviously he is taunting me.

Instantly, he's gone. 20 seconds later, I reach my finish line and stop to breathe. I don't remember breathing within the past few minutes. I walk a bit and turn around. He's walking again like nothing happened. Like we weren't in a race for our very lives. Like he is just here to walk the lake. Bitter rivals meet each other with a "hey", a head nod, and some hard breathing. I win.

And then, on the walk back to the car, the realities of life come back.

Run
RUn
RUN!

-Tim

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