Run Forest Run

Ridiculousness.   I expected my morning run to be fast, easy and a real mood uplifter.  Why?  Because I ran a marathon for 5 1/2 hours last weekend at my normal 12ish pace so just imagine what I could do in one hour a mere 5 miles.  I was ready to be amazed and I guess I was just not in the right way.  It was hard, slow and a little painful, the complete opposite of this mental jack rabbit I had conjured in my mind.  Surprisingly the same body with the same skill from before the marathon showed up for the run today and not a new and improved runner that I had imagined.

Someday I will write on what it is like to be a non runner like me.  I spent a lot of time during my run this morning drafting up this master piece and imagined it traveling like wildfire through the intranets.  Quotes like "5 1/2 hours, wow that is slow by runner's standards" and "Your not a real runner" and "I run slow too.  How slow?  A 8-9 minute mile." would pepper this riveting perspective to try to explain what it is like to be at the back of the pack - water stops drying up, traffic frustrated, even cops yelling at you to run faster or get on the sidewalk.  I am not sure if I am an athlete or one who just pretends to be until the race starts.

I do have a bizzaro gene though.  Here I am signed up for Triathlon sprints and Olympic and I am still not sure I will not drown or be pulled out of the water out of mercy.  However watching the Ford St George Ironman this weekend I was amazed, curious and completely inspired and when I got the email saying registration was open for 2012 the thought crossed my mind to actually just sign up and try it.  Perhaps it is Darwin at work or some sort of missing gene but I suck and yet it does not seem to stop me from believing I can do it, signing up for it and then being FREAKED out at the idea.  I was reminiscing a little when I was 200 pounds and started the Coach Potato to 5K program and running for 30 seconds and feeling like I was going to die.  The first swim lesson doing bubbles and scared to death that I would drown even though I was standing in the shallow end.  Now I think an Ironman is possible.  I guess not having to be "good enough" to enter a race may have its advantages.  Everything is intimidating but never a reason not to do something.  I have lost my mind.    Just saying.