Day One of Blog: Monday 8/24/2009

I am gaining inspiration for this blog at the moment by listening to "Desperado" by The Eagles. Being a distance runner forces us to make many sacrifices in every day life that many people cannot comprehend and simply don't realize. Sacrifices that define our lifestyles such as, eating right, not staying out late, running upwards of 80 miles per week, and distancing ourselves at times from members of the opposite sex in pursuit of the daunting, tiring, elusive, and sometimes seemingly impossible "task". In essence, we are at times, desperados. Times when training is difficult and we are breaking down, we see things a little differently than any other time. This is eloquently described in John L. Parker's "Once A Runner" and can't be understood by "normal" people. We are on a team, but often alone in this endeavor, especially during the low times. The sun doesn't seem to shine as bright and we begin to question whether the training and this life are really worth all the pain. There are numerous more comfortable routes that can be taken in life, but these represent failure and the easy way out, especially to the college distance runner. Though there are certainly successes possible in other endeavors, the distance runner is driven to attain the successes that others see as impossible, no matter the sacrifices or risks that must be taken. So for the time being I will continue down the path I have laid out for myself and take pride in the fact that I am, at times a loner, but always different from ordinary people. I am a runner.

8/25: Ran 6 miles easy with Jorge and Joey over a hilly route. Felt a little tired from the 64 mile week I just posted, so I am glad this is a recovery week. Ran the course at about 6:48 pace per mile. I have a 3 mile time trial tomorrow. I have no idea what to expect, as I have only been running for 5 weeks now after coming back from injury. More to come in the following days.