i love running.
i love mississippi state.
i love my coaches.
i love my team.
i love this place.
i know i have been missing in action this past semester, but i have just felt drained. emotionally and physically. i haven't felt like writing nor updating anyone on my running status, well because quite frankly, i have been very bitter. i was bitter because, once again, i got injured. however, it COULD have been avoided. i think that is what frustrates me the most. it wasn't an overuse injury, it wasn't nagging, it wasn't an injury that would go away in a few weeks time. no, call me a pansy, but it was a bone bruise. a bone bruise from the steeple chase done at Ole Miss in the beginning of March and i am just now able to run again.
there were days through this injury that i would just cry. thinking, "why me? why again?" i became angry at my coaches because i didn't think they paid enough attention to me. i was injured, what did i expect? their job is to COACH the athletes that can run, not to pour out their sympathy to me. why did i think myself so important that i needed to be constantly catered!? there were days i simply didn't feel like cross training, so i didn't. there were days when all i wanted to do was bike until i couldn't walk, so i did. i grew a lot during this injury, as i do with all injuries.
i think the most important thing i got from this injury was confidence. confidence that, like with every injury, there will be a light at the end of the tunnel. i would worry that i would never run again, that tomorrow wouldn't come, that i wouldn't be okay without running, that i would have pain forever. but this injury, too, passed. as they always do, just some quicker than others.
i like to think of running as a lover. i love Running. i love how Running makes me feel, i love spending time with Running. i get frustrated with Running, but i always return. Running lets me down constantly, but Running is always there for me. Running and i have our moments of success and we have had our fair share of trails. but one thing is true, i am so very passionate about my relationship with Running. we are one, and it will never be another way.
now, after two months of decent cross-training, i have finally started my journey to cross-country training. though official practice doesn't start until june 5, i need to make sure i get quality miles in that way i can handle the (eventually) 60-65 miles a week that i will be running.
i tried to run monday, but came up short only with 15 minutes and lots of pain. so i waited until thursday to jump back on the saddle. not setting my expectations or hopes TOO high, i laced up and thought that if i could get 15 minutes without pain i would call it a day. i ended up going 30 minutes without lasting pain. friday, 30 minutes no pain. saturday (today) i ran with the Boardtown Runners and i went 40 minutes. i ran about 7 min pace with
joe macgown for the first 20 minutes, but then i turned around while he continued on his 10 mile run. our course was hilly, back country roads. it was wonderful to be with a group of runners who merely love the pain of it all. i can't wait until next saturday! joe, i'm bringing my A game.....so watch out!
so, this is my blog post in saying that i can't be more thrilled than i already am to be running again. thank you for all your prayers over the last few weeks and concerns for me. i truly covet your prayers. my prayer is that i would run merely for the passion of running and not for my hunger of self-glorification or to fuel my pride. i don't want running to be a finite idol as i have made it in the past. i am running TO and FOR God. this is a turning point in my running career, and i know i am about to do big things for the kingdom of God. thank you for standing by me through the good and the bad times running, i always appreciate your support, reader.
hail state,
noodle butt.
wednesday's workout was spectacular. 4x1 miles repeats at 5:20 pace with 3-4 minutes rest on the fields. no biggie, just another workout. well, i got pretty close to seeing jesus that morning.
yesterday may have been the best run of my life. i know i have been saying that a lot lately, but it's probably because my fitness is improving exponentially each day. i ran at north farm at 8PM, hesitant to run any earlier due to my near death experience on tuesday. this heat is ridiculous. i usually hate running at night, if i dont run early in the morning, i feel like my entire day is wasted. however, it was wonderful. on my way to the farm, a cool breeze came in. what a surprise. it was almost as if it was the first cooler day of fall, where it's hot in the day but gets a little chilly at night. when i say chilly, i mean it dropped below 80 for the first time since i can remember. i ran just over 8 miles last night, averaging 7:01 for the first 4 miles and then i started picking it up. my last mile ended up being close to 6:30 pace. the strides from the night before are really opening up my legs and giving me a quick preview of what my leg speed needs to be. i thought that i was legitimately running 7:15-20 pace. when my gps clicked off at 7:01, i smiled. *freeze frame!* i know my gps is accurate because i was running with it on one of our campus loops, and it clicked where all our mile markers are around town. so needless to say, this is really helping me stay true to my training. 
