2 June 2014

Registered for the Iron Mountain 50 mile trail race in Virginia yesterday. So now its official... and I officially have felt also a few pangs of doubt wondering if I can actually finish this dang thing.  But my doubts are allayed somewhat by the running and training over the past few days and weeks. And doubt can be a healthy motivator especially when paired with vigorous ambition.

Got in another 60 mile week last week (a little over 61 miles to be exact).  Running down in Brunswick County in and around where my parents live. Been doing a 9 mile loop that takes me past a horse farm, where in the past I would watch them graze as I ran by. No horses though as I went by this past Friday though I was reminded of the scene in Once a Runner when Cassaday and Bruce Denton run by a group of horses which start running parallel to them... and in perfect pace with them. They talk about rider-less mounts in the minds of the horses. Or something like that.

Ran a 3 mile tempo last Thursday up and over Snow's Cut Bridge four times. Trying to incorporate some hill work into the routine. Or as much hill work as one can do here in the flat lands. Cruised it in 20:35; felt rather strong. What a strange site it must be to the casual observer; seeing someone run back and forth up and over a bridge.

Did speed work again on Saturday. 8 x 400m at the West Brunswick High School track. Felt good on a 4+ mile warm up run to the track, and debated about just doing a 10 mile progression run instead. But was nice to be able to feel the hard spongy surface under my feet and blaze by the familiar lane markings of an oval track again. Averaged about 1:21 per quarter on a 60 second rest cycle; last 2 or 3 reps got really hard and I found myself doubled over on the infield grass gasping for air at their hallowed conclusion. Lactic acid would come on steady and start to tie my legs up a little about 100-150 meters into each 400. I kept telling myself "you can at any point always make it around a track one more time." 

I find things out here that I cant find anywhere else... and I'm not even sure what per se it is that I even find. I guess its something that nothing else ever seems to fill. Maybe its all horse shit anyway, I don't know. But as long as there's an open road to run down, a trail to follow, or a track to circle... I'll carry on. Perhaps somewhere inside that very notion is a piece of what I'm searching for anyhow. More I suspect, will be revealed...