Demons & Dreams

I considered yesterday to be my first official training run in preparation for Headlands. I was looking forward to yesterday’s run and the opportunity to go out and run in the heat. Starting temperatures were 99F at 4:30pm and reached 100F during the run. I put in three hours of running with hill repeats thrown in for good measure. It was still 95F when I finished. I drank fluids like a fool consuming, at least, 50 oz per hour. Nevertheless, it wasn’t enough. I weighed before and after the run and dropped seven pounds! Yikes!!! This should get better as I acclimate to the heat. Although the run was very physically challenging, the mental fortitude to complete the run was even more challenging. The urge to stop after an hour was extremely strong, especially considering how close I was to my home. I just told myself to keep moving—the demons were screaming at me during most of the run but I wasn’t going to give up. One thing I’m going to have to consider is slowing down my pace in the heat. It wasn’t like I was running a crazy pace during this run, but it feels slow after this past winter and that concerns me. Since, I have only 2 months to prepare for Headlands, I must really focus on getting the best quality workouts possible with minimal junk miles. Every workout counts and the way my visitation schedule is structured with my son this Summer, I have to get creative with my workouts and that’s perfectly fine with me. It will make it that much sweeter when I finish my training and toe the line—ok, maybe I won’t be toeing the line at a hundred miler. ;-) My legs were completely shot from the workout from the downhill pounding my legs experienced on the asphalt. But that’s a good thing. Nutritionally, I was spot on, it’s just the hydration that was challenging. I finished up by running a good solid pace on single-track trail back to my place. It was the same route I warmed up on before I began the road portion of the workout. After being on the road for 2.5 hours, it felt awesome to be back in the woods on a trail. I soaked in a cold bath, after the run, followed by a hot shower.

I got up this morning at 4:55am and went to a spin class at my local gym. It has been awhile since I’ve participated in one of those classes, but it was really great to continue the body pounding I had experienced less than 12 hours beforehand. I had a blast at the class, although it was challenging. All of these workouts are putting me closer to my race and I’m eager to get outside and run and I have a renewed sense of excitement about my running and workouts.

On another note, I just wanted to emphasize, again, the importance of dreams. They are the key to living life to the fullest. If you don’t have a list written down, you should. The simple act of writing down your dreams takes you one step closer to acting on them, or, at least, keeps them in the forefront of your thoughts. And, sharing them with someone else can make them that much more real. Again, dreams can be big or small. Some dreams can be fulfilled in a day. Others, take longer, sometimes months or years. The important thing is to act on them as best you can without hesitation. And, if you want your dreams to be enhanced, share them with a close friend, spouse, or someone you trust. And, no matter how crazy or silly you think some of your dreams are, they are yours and no one can take those away from you, and no one that cares should ever diminish what’s in your heart. It’s the lifeblood of living. And, if you are lucky enough to find someone that supports your dreams in life, that is even sweeter. To have someone willing to walk alongside you and share in the dreams resting deep in your soul and for them to reciprocate, how could it get much better than that? J