Mind Games

Saturday I ventured on a long run. I am still recovering from my ITB injury from over a year ago that was "tweaked" again when I completed the Circumburke last November.  I was thinking 12-13 miles would be a good goal for this run. A couple of weeks ago I ran 11 miles and while I had a little pain starting at mile 9 it was nothing I couldn't handle so 12-13 was do-able...until the mind games started.

 



Mile 1: This sucks, this is going to be a long run, oh look there's my friend Connie, Hi! Yep I am pretending to be having fun and enjoying this right now! <insert smile here>
Mile 2: This is not so bad but this is a really long hill, why did I choose this route?
Mile 3: So I think it will be almost 4 miles of uphill then onto the back roads-dirt and rolling hills. I can do this.
Mile 4: Woo hoo-off I go. Lovin' life. Love these rolling hills.
Mile 4.5 Oh geesh stupid shoe, gotta tighten the right shoe. I wonder why that shoe always loosens and the other one doesn't. I don't want to stop but I am not going to stop thinking about it till I tighten it plus my foot is sliding too much on the down hill. I better pause the Nike lady (App on my iPhone) and re-tie my shoe. I cant stop for long, I don't want to tighten up.
Mile 6: hmm... I wonder where that road leads?
Mile 7: fork in the road...take the road less traveled (even though it is taking me farther away from home) or just go with what I know. I am feeling pretty good. Uphills are still strong. Worse case scenario I add an extra mile or two...at this rate I just might be ready to do that 50k trail race in May. Road less traveled it is!
Mile 7.75: I better pause the Nike lady again and check my GPS map. Hmmm...this road appears to meet up with that other road!
Mile 8: There's the road, oh please let that be a real road. Yes its a real road...wait that's a Dead End sign. I'll risk it. I know that road has a couple different dead ends that must be what that sign was all about. Yikes that's another BIG hill!
Mile 8.5ish: Crap...dead end...but I killed that hill. Kick back and enjoy the ride down. You are ridiculous!
Mile 9: Is that my ITB? No, its fine. No pain. No pain. It's all in my head.
Mile 11ish: It is my ITB. Ugh, there's the pavement. Ugh-what the heck was I thinking I have at least another 3 miles to go!  My hopes of completing that 50k are not looking so good.
Mile 12.5: The last of the big hills- my legs are toast. I can do this. Push it. Kill the f'in hill.
Mile 12.5+: This is stupid
Mile 14: Oh yeah, another mile or so. ITB sucks but its nothing I can't handle one more little push and I am almost there.
Mile 14.5: OUCH. Crap. hobble hobble. Be cool. Be cool. Don't walk.
Mile 15: Almost home...I want to get this run over with already! No pain, No pain. Don't run through the pain, don't walk, don't run, don't walk. Damn-just get this over with!
Mile 15.5: Wow that was AWESOME!

Here's hoping my injury doesn't keep me from another long run this weekend! Time will tell.
No Regrets!




Yep. It was a good run!

Because I was wearing these socks I felt like I
 couldn't walk the last half mile...it wouldn't look right.