Will of Iron

"Certainly it hurts. The trick is not minding that it hurts." ~T.E. Lawrence (of Arabia)

Thanks to my friend Dave, who wrote an excellent article that included this quote, I had it on repeat in my mind as I ran yesterday. I trudged through a less-than-spectacular long run on a very beautiful but extremely windy day. I had good company and beautiful views throughout Shelby Farms as I winded through the Tour de Wolf, Chickasaw Trail, and 10K cross-country course. From the very first minute my legs were protesting. I'm not sure why they screamed as loudly as they did, since my workouts had included just a 50 mile bike ride and a swim (yes, finally!) on Saturday. It must've been Friday's 8-mile fartlek run with Damie, after which we decided to challenge ourselves to some plyometric jumps. OUCH. I am well aware of the benefits of regularly doing plyometrics, and I really should get my act together and do them more often, but it sure is hard to get motivated to repeat the workout when I'm that sore two days later.

I was determined to get in 2.5 hours of running, hopefully about 18 miles. It was hard not to focus on the pain radiating from my hips and hamstrings. But telling myself that the trick is to not MIND the pain, but instead be comfortable with it, was key. Every time the thought ran through my head, the pain decreased. I felt like it was very appropriate training for my next Ironman. I know it's going to hurt. Of course it's going to hurt. Not everyone can make themselves "not mind" that it hurts for long enough to get through the marathon, though. And that is what makes all the difference!