Thursday, April 16, 2009

internal dialogue

Is it 5:00am already? Geesh. What day is it? Do I have to work today? I'll hit the snooze button just once....That was 10 minutes already? Okay...up and at it girl!! You have no time for the rest of the day to get this run in, so get going. Where are my pants? My hat? Gloves? Do I need gloves today? I really need to wash this coat, cause it kinda smells. Okay, here I go...which way is the wind going today? Doesn't matter, does it? It is always blowing here. How long should I warm up....I should really stretch before these workouts...I never stretch...I feel pretty good! It's actually quite nice out today. I wish the sun would come out. Here I am at the corner already, my garmin says 9 minutes...maybe a bit longer for a warm up? Up to the next corner. Let's start the first interval down a little hill...give me some confidence. Okay...hit the lap button, here I go...my first sub-5minute kilometer! Look at me! I a flying!! I am a rockstar! That's gotta be like, 4 and a half minutes...whoops...what! Only 2 minutes...okay this is going to be hard...but not too hard, right? You signed up for this. Okay, just keep running, pump your arms a bit more, is that cute guy looking at me? "Mornin." He WAS looking at me! Too bad I look so crappy in my sweaty workout gear...okay...FOCUS!! Check the garmin...holy hell...30 seconds to go....push...push...WHEW! 1 km in 4:57. Just under the wire. But I have THREE more to go. Holy. This is going to be hard workout. Get ready for the next one. Find a good tune...okay, rest time is up...aaaaand...hit the lap again. Breathe, run, keep breathing, run some more, focus on form, don't look too far ahead, damn hills, keep going, is that guy going to stop?, he stopped, thank-god cause that would have sucked...look at garmin...omg I did it again...that one was super hard!! And I have two more. I can do this, I can do this, I can do this....Okay...go again...5 minutes of running...no problem...good form...is that a runner up there? Way up there? I am going to catch her. RUN! RUN! Okay, I caught her..."Morning!" I could barely gasp that sucker out...Look at garmin...shit...I have a whole minute left! Okay do not look again....4:55...4:56..4:57...4:58...4:59...5:00...exactly one km. I feel the wheels falling off. I don't think i have one more...c'mon! Yes I do!!! Okay...one more then you are done...Run, run, run...breathe, breathe, breathe...2.30 minutes...half way through this last one...my legs are hurting, my lungs are hurting...my chest is hurting...I LOVE this song...okay run to the song...how many time do you think i have listened to this song? FOCUS!!
DONE!! But the wheels DID fall off...only 980 meters in 5:00...good enough...what am I, an olympian? Nope. No medals or $$ on the line, just the satisfaction that I can do things I never thought possible...run it home and hit the shower.
This is gonna be a GREAT day!!!

3 comments:

Keith said...

I love reading internal monologues like this! Sounds like a great workout. Do you do these on a track so you know distance, or do you just find a likely spot and let the Garmin keep track.

ps, I can only dream of a 5 min K. In fact, I'd do the Snoopy dance of joy at a 6 min K, if my legs could do it after that.

Shannon Wicks said...

Nice work Kel!

Jenna said...

way to dig deep. and remember that the terrain was always changing beneath you so a 5 min km over and over was likely more difficult at one point than another. Well done.

Kelly's Favorite Quotes

  • You can quit and they don't care...but YOU will always know.
  • You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, 'I have lived through this. I can take the next thing that comes along.' You must do the thing you think you cannot do. - Eleanor Roosevelt
  • "Always maintain composure and class. Hard work will yield results" - I live my life by this one
  • "Courage is the first of human qualities because it is the quality that guarantees all others." - One of my favorite historical figures
  • "Don't hug me Mom, you are all sweaty!" - My 5 year old
  • "You're gonna run a 1/2 marathon in February, in ski pants?"-My Co-Worker
  • "Go for it! Let us know what you need." - My Boss
  • "It ain't the man in the fight, it's the fight in the man." - My Dad
  • "You signed up for...what?" - My Spouse