5 Miles

I ran at Maudslay State Park, getting back in touch with all those big pines and the Merrimack River. I ran through the fields, past some outdoor art exhibit, and through nearly every large trail the park had to offer. After all, I had to find a way to squeeze 5 miles out of it and still keep it fun.

Boy, I didn’t want to run this morning, or at least that’s what I said while getting dressed. I had all kinds of negatives piling up on me all the way up to getting out there on the path. But after about six minutes, maybe eight, I felt resigned to do what I’d set out to do.

In several ways, I love this more.

You’re probably practicing your hills, doing tempos, increasing your stride or your pace. Me? I’m beating mental toughness into my psyche. It’s not there naturally. My default is to surrender. So, what I’m doing the most while out on the trail is convincing myself that I’m much more powerful than I am willing to exert.

Today, I hit the same horrible stretch of hill twice on purpose. On the second run up the hill, I kept telling myself, “This is your dessert. You’re eating this up because you’ve already run 50 minutes. This is your reward.” And then the weirdest thing happened. For the first time in my life –ever– I said to myself, “I’m tough.” Yep, I said that. I shocked myself so much that I forgot the dessert mantra and still attacked the hill.

This comes after yesterday’s race, where I learned another little mantra. “This is temporary. You’ll recover.”

So yeah, who knew? I’m tough. Write it down, boyos.

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