Gotta Get Those Miles

blazing_sunWe’ve been having some blazing hot days here, and I didn’t have time to run in the mornings – and as yet haven’t resorted to 5am wake ups – so I had to run in the evenings right after the sun hid behind the hills. On one run I’d started off at my usual pace but with all the irritations of the day replaying through my mind my feet had sped up, and I was like roadrunner through the dusk, meep meep.

running_gas_gaugeOn mile marker number 10 with 3 more to go, ok ok ok, mile marker 3 with 2.5 left to go my early use of a bucket-load of energy being speedy caught up with me, and I was left wondering if I’d have enough umpf to finish. And that’s what we’re talking about this week, when your energy is slip slip slipping away, how to convince yourself there’s enough left to get your mileage for the day.

morego_lessstopWhen I was stuck I went with the theory that the mind needs to be distracted so it will quit sending out signals of stop stop stop. So, I started playing a game where I’d notice something like a beautiful rose – and I’d add it to a silly song in my head. And every subsequent interesting thing I’d pass would be added, until there were 10 or more items I had to remember and sing.

singthebees

It went something like this, “There goes the short lady with glasses behind the wheel right after the dad pulling his kids in a plastic avocado tub on wheels, just before the dead bee on the sidewalk across the street from the kids playing in the yard with the dad with buff arms on St Francis — as the speedy green car pulls out in front of the white minivan that was just behind the big truck that passed the what-what-what tree by the pretty rose I ran by very far from home on my feet feet feet.” Catchy, right?

It’s a lot of nonsense when written down but it worked. So, mind distracted equals more miles run without that tired nagging. Plus, you pay more attention to your surroundings and notice all those lovely small details. It’s great to get home with the mileage you set out to do, am I right? On this matter, yep…

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