Run

18 Oct

Run: 7.4 mi
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Run--A short slow run. Need to rest these legs! X-training coming up! Yay for triathlon!

Goals--It might be too premature, but I have started thinking about my goals after the 50 miler. My goals for this past spring/summer/fall were pretty simple, and I'm 1 for 3 so far (enjoying the first season of triathlon). I love triathlon, and I really like the olympic distance, so it would be fun to focus on that next season. I also really love the challenge and complexity of the marathon. It would also be a great experiment to focus a year-long effort on a fall or early winter marathon (I'm probably moving to TX this summer, so a Nov/Dec marathon in TX might be golden). Just some random thoughts...

Motivation--The tri podcasts are so fun to listen to! I remember hearing a segment on the GYGO podcast called "why I tri" where people call in to give their reasons for "tri'ing." Maybe I haven't been paying attention, but I haven't heard it in a while. We're all in the offseason I guess. I think today I nailed down some reasons why I love triathlon.

Why I Tri/Run
1) It's fun
2) It's rewarding to meet a goal (time or just to finish a race)
3) X-training prevents injury
4) Pain and burning lungs feel GREAT!!!
5) Cool peeps
6) Military officers need to be in great physical condition*
7) Our bodies are works of art and one our most precious gifts

(*There's a sign in the base gym: "Someone who wants to kill you worked out today.")

(Warning: The following consist of random thoughts on my run today. I'm about to go all rabbinical here.) Like many others, I believe that our bodies are merely vessels that hold who we truly are (HaGuf vs. HaNefesh). We are given the gift of our bodies so our souls can talk to each other and hence create meaning in our lives, a communion of souls perhaps. Because we are given such a wonderful yet finite gift, it only seems fitting that we take responsibility to cherish it and nurture it as best we can (Shmirat HaGuf v'Shmirat HaNefesh).

Our bodies are means of expression. We can tattoo it, we can pierce it, we can lase and exfoliate, we can wash it. We can also pour alcohol into it, we can fill it with smoke, we can overwhelm it with UV radiation and smoke. Or we can give it tasty healthy foods, we can water it, and we can make sure it is in a clean environment.

We are not only able, but we are required, to use our bodies. Our hearts are made to pump a lot of blood, to the point where we can hurl ourselves down the track as fast as our legs (or arms) can take us. Our lungs are supposed to suck in as much air as we can as we try not to blackout from doing the 200 fly. Our muscles should burn like blazing, iron-melting furnaces as our legs crank our bicycles up and over mountain passes. Our sweat is supposed to sear our eyes as we round the last corner to complete yet another 20+ mile run.

My mission as a triathlete and marathon runner is to discover the physical and mental potential and limit of this Guf v'Nefesh. My goal is to take one more swim stroke, bike pedal, and running step further and faster every day. After all, it is what we are made to do.