mindfirerunner

Oh now. Don’t take it personally. Sometimes you just have to find something to keep your mind going when you’re mentally and physically zapped during a long run. Today was just one of those days where it felt like I was trudging through quicksand. I live for long runs. I enjoy getting a few miles in and getting warmed up in time to watch the sunrise, but today I wanted to do nothing more than stop running and head back to bed. I was tired. I was exhausted. And I just couldn’t get my head in the game and the lead out of my shoes. Twelve miles never seemed so far away.

So, today was my mental run. I needed to toughen up my spirit and prove to myself I could dig deeper and get the run done. With each pat of the pavement another thought of quitting ricocheted through my head, so I chased it with a bigger thought of determination and fire. One step (and one thought) at a time I got through the miles. I have found that I am my biggest competitor, my greatest obstacle, and my toughest teammate. And I have learned that it’s not always about finishing first or best, but sometimes it’s just simply about finishing.

Today, I was okay with a slower pace and a tougher run as long as I finished…

…and outran the zombies.