Humility

Anyone who's run for any length of time knows how easily running can team up with your body to teach you humility. I've heard it mentioned by various marathon runners that 26.2 teaches you humility. I have no doubt thats true. But, I don't even need 26.2. I just got to go to a local race or on a daily training run.

Saturday, I achieved a PR and my first ever age group placing. I also finished 8 seconds behind a 50 year old woman. As she passed me in the final kilometer her form, breathing and temperment were all better than mine.

I took a day off on Sunday. 6 hours of driving. Less than 6 hours sleep and tickets to a Phillies game conspired with my pride of coming off that PR. Apparently that also led me to drink too much and not take care of my body at all on Sunday at the Phils game.

Come monday, when I went out for a three mile training run my legs were there but my mind wasn't at all. It was a sluggish run, and not the kind that you would want immediately after a good race result. Of course, I've yet to see a training program that suggests running hungover in a light drizzle either. So, once again, humility wins out over pride.

Luckily, I got a bit of an asshole streak in me. I don't so much enjoy being humbled, even if I see it as part of the process of running. It's not so much, well that run sucked I don't really want to do that again, as it's i definitely don't want to do that again, so it's time to run fuckin harder this time. And sometimes it doesn't matter, and the wind, the elements, the hills the doubts, last nights yuengling, they all conspire against ya and they win. But a few times a week, they don't. And then the asshole gets to puff out his chest and feel on top of the world.

Current Listening:: Innocence Mission - Befriended