I wasn't planning on running again today - specially since I did a 6.5 yesterday. I try to take a break to give the shins a rest - however, after some good stretching I felt good and went for a 6.5 in Druid's Glen again - which is 3 laps of the 2.2 miler. The splits were 17:12, 33:24 and then 49:17. Man, it felt so good, so very good to be able to run again. Practically every time I do run I feel so fortunate. I don't fully understand what it is about running but it just a joy at times. Today it was pretty cold - and it was around 6:30 pm - so it was dark too. As I started through the apartment complex, the bridge there was iced up, which was a warning - as I came down the hill I had to slow up since there was some ice on the aphalt - it was the only patch and it worked out okay if I ran close to the grass on the edge. So I ran on under the expressway and headed up the hill - man it was dark - I could barely see that path. At one point I heard some people and show the shadow of an unleashed dog flying by - no idea how tame or wild he would be. After the first lap I checked my watch and it was 17:12 - I knew I had to pick up my pace to get under 50.
After the run I headed over to the gymn - they have a great sauna there - one that is seriously hot and you can douse water over it so it steams up real good. I saw a guy there I met last year - Tomas - from the Czech republic. He was suprised when he saw me since I'd lost close to 20 lbs and he noticed that. Tomas runs a lot too - steady pace but for a couple of hours. I told him I'd try to meet him on Sunday afternoon at 2 for a long run.
Just before I left the gym, I got talking with Andy who mans the counter and explained how running has a parallel in life - sometimes it's cold and dark - I liken this to the difficulties in life - yet you keep persevering - you keep your focus, your head down and endure. I told him I ultimately trust in God, yet God doesn't promise a pain free life. In fact it's when we try to escape from the pain of reality and difficulty that brings other problems. Enduring suffering grows character in our souls (I stole that right out of Romans!). When I'm running and it's difficult - it makes me think that the journey of life is sometimes difficult but we can keep our focus - we can press on and arrive at our destination despite all the wind and rain and cold thrown at us.
My younger brother Bartley (who has been training quite seriously at 'The Fight Club' in Dalkey this past year and a half) invited me down tomorrow. He said it is an hour of intense endurance training - boxing, press-ups, you name it - I think I'm going to get a run for my money! I think this is going to be a little more intense than what I'm used to! I'm focused on jogging / running - this is going to be a whole new game. When I saw Bart this afternoon he wanted to see my heart rate, so he whipped out his iPhone with his heart monitor app - it said I had a heart rate of 53. The consitent jogging does keep it down. .
After the run I headed over to the gymn - they have a great sauna there - one that is seriously hot and you can douse water over it so it steams up real good. I saw a guy there I met last year - Tomas - from the Czech republic. He was suprised when he saw me since I'd lost close to 20 lbs and he noticed that. Tomas runs a lot too - steady pace but for a couple of hours. I told him I'd try to meet him on Sunday afternoon at 2 for a long run.
Just before I left the gym, I got talking with Andy who mans the counter and explained how running has a parallel in life - sometimes it's cold and dark - I liken this to the difficulties in life - yet you keep persevering - you keep your focus, your head down and endure. I told him I ultimately trust in God, yet God doesn't promise a pain free life. In fact it's when we try to escape from the pain of reality and difficulty that brings other problems. Enduring suffering grows character in our souls (I stole that right out of Romans!). When I'm running and it's difficult - it makes me think that the journey of life is sometimes difficult but we can keep our focus - we can press on and arrive at our destination despite all the wind and rain and cold thrown at us.
My younger brother Bartley (who has been training quite seriously at 'The Fight Club' in Dalkey this past year and a half) invited me down tomorrow. He said it is an hour of intense endurance training - boxing, press-ups, you name it - I think I'm going to get a run for my money! I think this is going to be a little more intense than what I'm used to! I'm focused on jogging / running - this is going to be a whole new game. When I saw Bart this afternoon he wanted to see my heart rate, so he whipped out his iPhone with his heart monitor app - it said I had a heart rate of 53. The consitent jogging does keep it down. .
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