Saturday and Sunday

Saturday I lifted the self imposed ban on running I had placed following Bluff Creek. I have been having some flare ups with my knee again and after 2 consecutive weeks of racing so it was a good time to shut it down for a few days. I was able to get in some extra work in the pool and on the bike this week which was good and also helped the recovery process after my first triathlon.

I got up early on Saturday and rode my trainer for 30 minutes before eating a waffle and heading out to meet up with the group for a run. Maybe running 10 miles wasn't the smartest thing to do for my first run in a week, maybe I was just still sore from a hard couple of weeks of training and racing, maybe I was fatigued from a long stressful week dealing with the loss of my grandpa or maybe it was a combination of it all but this was not a good run for me at all. It started off ok, 5 or 6 of us met up with the early birds, Chad, Aaron, Katie and John who had been out since 4:30 and we headed out but not before waiting just a few extra minutes to see if Jay would come flying in on the moped ready to whip off a few miles. Jay had run with the Leadville guys the day before, what had originally been planned for a 20-26 mile run with them turned into a 48 mile trip from Davenport to West Branch.

We all stuck together for the first couple of miles which is unusual but it was nice, everyone paid their condolences for my loss and I talked a little about things with Ann and Aaron. It is really nice to know that I have such good friends even though running may be our only link to each other.

Aaron and Chad turned back early and thats when the group divide up into 2 groups with me kind of stuck in the middle. I ended up running the rest of the way alone, which wasn't really a bad thing except that I was struggling a bit towards the middle and then again at the end. When I made it back to Crow Creek Ann and Aaron and a couple others where still there and then the other group showed up shortly after. I mentioned how much I had hated that run and even commented that was the kind of run that made me wish I was still 300 lbs and playing World of Warcraft. Someone commented, and I can't remember who now, that I still ran 10 miles and that put things back into perspective. By the time I was half way home I was so filled with endorphins that what had been a horrible run was now just another 10 miler in the books.

Sunday I slept in after hanging out late Saturday night watching UFC, so I got my bike ride in after church. It was hot and windy which was the perfect excuse to just stay in on the trainer but I knew even a good ride on the trainer wouldn't be as beneficial as a bad ride outside in the elements. The ride started off great I headed north towards Cordova along the bike path, my plan was to go out 25 and turn around. What I didn't realize was how strong the wind was at my back and how much it had picked up in the hour and 15 minutes heading out. When I finally turned around I was confronted with the realization of what I was going to have to deal with, what had started off as 8 mph winds had turned into 18-20 mph winds with gusts of 25-30, I was in for a long ride home. What took me an 1:20 to go 25 out took me 1:40 to come 25 back, it was miserable and brutal and I thought about calling Deanna a couple of times to come pick me up, but I just couldn't do it, I kept thinking about how I couldn't quit and in life sometimes we face adversity, how we respond to it is the true measure of what we are made of. I suffered through it sometimes moving at just a crawl but I was dedicated to relentless forward motion and I made it home eventually. Later on me and Deanna watched the movie "Facing the Giants" and there is one part where the coach of the football team challenges his star player and the leader of the team to death crawl blind folded, and he passionately pleads him to "Give it best" and "Negotiate with your body to find more strength". I feel like that is what I had had to do earlier on my ride, I kept wanting to quit but I kept willing myself to go forward, kept negotiating with my body to find a little more strength to keep moving.

After sleeping in this morning I tried to get on the bike trainer thinking I would get a few miles in but my legs just didn't have it in them, today is a good day to rest, which is just as important sometimes has hard work. Maybe I'll get on later this evening after the cook out and birthday party we are going to this afternoon. If I don't though I won't let it bother me.

Until next time...Do today what others won't, so tomorrow you can do what others can't.