Go Nuts

When I first came to Pensacola I was really very excited, I was going to start running again, get in shape after a 4 month recess, find some local marathons in a part of the country I had only once before visited, soak in the sun and enjoy life in the Corps. But as we say, I got "f*^ked by the big green weenie." I'm not entirely sure what it was, but my running wasn't nearly what it should have been. First, Barracks support was depressing and unmotivating. It did not require any skill or energy and left me feeling tired. The heat is another factor, well, not the heat so much as the humidity. I sweat like a mofo here, maybe I should never have left new England. Third, and this is a slightly less prominent factor, I had a girlfriend. Running was a stress releiver, and I didn't have much stress when I was with her. I had a few good runs here and there, 11 mile was my max though, and I never broke 17 or 18 miles a week (pitiful.) But then the most peculiar of life's quirks struck me. I got dumped. And the peculiarity of becoming stronger from something weakening began. For as great as I apparently was, I was still just not good enough. Needless to say I felt like crap. I talked to Trev and he said I needed to start running again, to "go nuts" it took a day or two, but I realized that he was right. I needed to throw myself body and mind into my running. Back into the safety valve that had previously kept me sane, and was sure to do again by its very nature.

Driven once again by my anger, the one thing that continuously makes me stronger, I jumped right into week 7 of the intermediate II marathon program. 0-50 miles a week, just like that. I zoned out on every run, my mind aslumber yet moving at a blistering pace on that one, incomprehensible situation. I spent hours on runnersworld.com, studying injury prevention, strengthening techniques, and training regimines. Running became my all consuming focus, and continues to be so. Though the last few days have been hectic, which I will talk about in a later post, The desire to run, to escape this monotone life is still burning.

Running is the only thing in life I truly love, the only thing I know. It is honest, it is sincere, it is true.