Day 360, 5 To Go

December 26, 2013

The day after Christmas is like the day after an all night drinking binge.  You have a hangover, but instead of your head hurting and you being dehydrated, your wallet hurts and your bank account as fertile as a desert.  I think I'd rather have a traditional hangover!!

Sure, it was fun and everyone was smiling, but just like after a night of serious drinking where you may have said things you shouldn't have and slept with someone you may regret in the future, you bought things you shouldn't have and you regret the bill that will come in 30 days. 

Nothing like running with a hangover...actually, I don't think I have ever done that.  I don't want to try, that's for sure.  I did run today, of course, and my hangover was of the fiscal variety, so it didn't affect my run.  Here are my numbers:

Time: 30:00

Distance: 3.02 miles

Pace: 9:55/m

Max Pace: 5:57/m

Calories: 287

Avg HR: 117

Max HR: 133

What can I say about today's run other than blah.  I am really feeling the strain mentally at this point.  I know I only have 5 more days, but it feels like 50!  How odd!  In the beginning, I couldn't wait to get out there every day.  After all the physical pain and mental difficulty, I am finally drained.  It kind of makes me feel like a loser...but just a bit.  I am proud of what I have achieved but on the other hand, I was reading an article in Runner's World magazine about a young lady who is basically a professional, at least on par with them, but still in school, and she tells about her first marathon.  Of course it was great.  She also toured the world as part of some exchange program where she got to meet with runners from all over the world.  At the end of the year, she said she had run over 3,000 miles.  It may have been 3,500, but I can't remember the number, the article, or her name.  My 1,000 miles seems puny and insignificant!

I read all the time about people who run every day and do 100 mile races, and they used to seem superhuman to me.  Now, I think they are SUPERHUMAN because I know how hard it is to just run 30 minutes a day!  They human body can be an impressive machine.  Some machines, like mine, are just lacking a few horsepower!

I don't know how I'll feel when I am done, but I hope I feel proud and energized for the new year.  I also hope I have encouraged at least one person to get out there and to try something they didn't think they could do.  I didn't think I would get this far.  I really didn't!  I figured I would fall apart halfway through the year.  I always knew I could handle it mentally, but physically...that was my challenge.  This is the first year I made it all the way through without a debilitating injury!  I hope next year is the same!

Run for Life!!