Today was the day of no return so to speak. It was either hit snooze and stay in bed or roll out of bed, lace up and hit the road. I chose the latter. At 7 a.m. I took the first step in getting in shape for the Big Dawg Dare and ran outside for the first time in a long time, possibly since I did the 5k in Champaign just before Grace was born.
While I usually prefer to run on a treadmill, I thought the great outdoors would better prepare me for July's race. While the track at Beckemeyer Elementary School isn't exactly littered with water hazards, cars and cargo nets, it does offer a good starting point for me. So with my cellphone cranking out a rock playlist I found on Spotify, I hit the pavement.
Starting off slowly, I decided to run the straightaways and walk the curves, something my brother Daniel recommended I do when I was training for the first 5k. The first thing I realized was that my running form wasn't exactly picture perfect. I tried to avoid heel striking early on, but quickly reverted to my old form to focus on breathing more, hence I don't pass out.
My other revelation was that I can probably do this. The start of training for my last 5k was such a spectacular failure, I almost quit before I really started. But today was different. I know it's not a huge accomplishment but I managed to run the straightaways for all but two of the laps I completed (I lost count but six or seven in a half hour). One of the full lap walks came about at the midway point, when I really struggled with the last straightaway the lap before. The other was a cool down lap just before the end of my workout.
Oddly enough, it started to sprinkle just as I was finishing the last lap as if God was saying "enough for today Kyle". Just as I walked through my back door, the floodgates opened and it started pouring. With Mary and Grace still asleep, I spent the next 15 minutes or so stretching, listening to the rain and thinking about my morning. Attitude is going to be key to this process. If I think I'm going to struggle, I will. But I take this experience for what it is, it could turn out to be something fantastic - for my overall physical health and mental health as well.
Well hello there old friends. Long time no see.
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