December 17, 2005
This morning I woke up at 7 am and met a group of runners for a preview of the Mercedes Marathon course, despite the voice in my head telling me to JUST STAY IN BED... IT IS WARM THERE. The run went well for me. I started dragging during the last few miles, and the last mile uphill was a bit painful. But this is the longest distance I have ever run in my life, so I am proud of myself!
Most people talked during the run, which is something I don't enjoy doing when I am in pain. During my long, slow paced runs, my mind gets into a state of meditation. Social runs can be fun, too, and this nine mile run seemed a lot shorter due to the interaction.
When I'm in a large group of people I don't know (but they know each other), I get painfully reticent. Hopefully this doesn't appear like snobbery to others!
Posted by megabeth at December 17, 2005 03:25 PM
I have a hard time understanding distance running for the simple reason that pain is a message from your body saying 'cease and desist, you are not being chased by a saber tooth tiger. Stop and have a cold drink and a rest.'
I have always assumed that distance runners to some degree enjoyed the pain that comes with their task. How do you see it?
Posted by: rankin' rob at December 21, 2005 10:25 AM
There are different kinds of pain. Pain from lactic acid or passing your anaerobic threshold does not signify injury. Now, if you tore your ACL or miniscus, or something acute like that is screaming out for you to stop, that's different.
Some personalities (like mine) enjoy suffering. I blame that on my Catholic upbringing.
The more you train, though, the easier (and less painful) it gets. And then there's that runner's high, which is addictive for those who love their endorphins.
Posted by: megabeth at December 21, 2005 11:20 AM