Try Try Again

Hooray!  I ran 10 miles today and it went O.K.  It took me an hour and 39 minutes.  I was really really nervous to attempt the 10 mile run today after last week's disastrous 9-mile run.  I kept thinking how awful it was going to be and I wasn't going to make it and I would be miserable the entire time.  But... *Try*Try*Again* was today's lesson.  If things don't go right the first time, it can be scary to try again but you must.  And most often, it goes better than you ever would have expected.

I had a lot to distract me today from the thoughts of the fact that I was running for an hour and forty minutes.  This always helps.  And when my quads and knees started hurting around 6.5 miles, I kept running and told myself that there are plenty of people in the world in much more pain than I was in.  Run for those who cannot.  Run for those people fighting harder times than you are. 

I usually run pretty well when I'm angry.  I can pound my frustrations out on the pavement or trail.  And you Cannot cry while running.  This I know.  In 2006 I ran a half marathon in Montreal Canada with a girlfriend of mine.  The night before the race we each made a list of 13 things we were angry about and for each mile of the 13.1 race, we planned to run for a different angry reason.  We put these little pieces of paper with our lists in our running shorts.  Besides it pouring the rain and our lists getting soaking wet.... the course was marked in kilometers.  Our brilliant idea of having 13 things to run about for the 13.1 miles was shot.  I didn't even realize the course was marked in kilometers until I got to the first kilometer marker.  But nonetheless, my list must have worked.  I set a new PR for myself while also screwing up my left knee, which would debilitate my running for years.... stay tuned - I'm still not sure I'm in the clear.  Now *That* was a good use of some angry energy. 

You see, bad experiences can be put to good use.  This was my 10-miler reward after a good shower on a beautiful fall day getting ready for some Volunteer football. 

Cheers!