Tuesday, September 1, 2009

Slaying Demons at St Eds

I've always believed that if you fall off your bike, the best thing to do is to get straight back on again. So I called my mate Alan and asked him if he wanted to go run hills with me on the St Eds trails tonight.

I'll be honest, I felt like crap at the start. Completely unmotivated, and slow as ten bears. I had to struggle to keep up with Alan, but about half way through the first loop something strange happened. I hit a rhythm and felt more like my old self. Suddenly it was Alan who was struggling to keep up with me. I hit a downhill and just let go. It was exhilarating - I let gravity take me and went with it. I savored the feel of the breeze rushing past my face while my brain raced to solve jigsaw puzzles in real time - the pieces were my fast feet and the puzzle was the rocky terrain I was flying over.

By the second loop I was really in the groove and enjoying the challenge of the hills. I'd intended to stop after two, but found myself going out again for a third loop. If I'd had my headlamp I'd have gone out for a fourth. I started to reflect on the good things from last weekend's race such as the incredible sunset on top of the ridge with a breathtaking view over the lake and the way the coyotes started crazy howling all over the park around 1am - that was pretty cool.

It was an incredible run, and I'm very grateful to Alan for pushing me at the start. For the first time in a long while I actually felt like the runner who ran Bandera and Rocky Raccoon.

I hope it lasts.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Welcome back bro, look forward to running with you next year

johntsharp said...

right on brother. i have made 3 workouts already this week myself, i am glad the heat finally let up. keep on keepin on!