Turning point..

I was thinking the other day, actually during the Nookachamps race, when the course ran between two cattle barns, how I got to this point. The smell of wet manure and tractor exhaust filling the lungs, always takes me right back to the ranch I grow up on. I started thinking of how far from there the roads have reached and all that’s happened since growing up there. I was mostly thinking of this because it was the crest of the first big hill and I needed to cover the thought of ‘just walk, just walk, just walk’. I guess it goes back to AK running Kona, way back in the day and I tagged along just to keep her company. Our first couple of runs from the house to the local PCC and back, I think that was a round trip of 2.2 miles. Along that time we raced in our first event at a YMCA 5K that TK and Shell belonged to. I think I did 29:58, dying and out of breath. I believe also that was when I realized I had asthma, funny how that just jumped up out of nowhere.

That was 5(?) years ago maybe? Hard to tell, I guess I could dig through old run journals or better yet look through the pile of race shirts. I really can’t imagine what road I’d be on or how much more of the couch I’d take up if AK wasn’t brave enough to take the first steps to Kona way back when. It’s funny how the smallest gestures or decisions can completely change your course and reinvent what you thought you could do.

This year my goals are just out of reach from last years goals and that’s the thing that keeps me moving from one workout to the next. Just like my first time snowboarding. I had such a blast because I had this mantra in my head of ‘ I’m not suppose to be good at this ‘, and I have to keep that mantra to some extent this season in training. I’m not use to this extra 25%-30% increase in workouts, but then again I’m not suppose to be, but I will. I read on another blog this girl said about herself, ’I was in amazing shape last season, but that shape won’t survive this years races’. And I couldn’t agree with her more…..

This weeks totals…

3 runs – 11.05 miles
3 swims – 1.94 miles
1 core – 30 mintues

Was feeling a bit run down and with everyone at work dropping like flies I took it a little easy.

AK
5 runs – 16 miles (sweet!)