Motivated to Succeed

Round 2, Day #24: (Run 1) 12 miles in 1:39:36 (8:18/ mile). Felt relaxed and confident today, even though I had a rough night of ear pain. Am on some meds and resting now so hopefully I will be on the mend. Did the first 5 in 42:21 (8:28/mi), the next 5 in 41:22 (8:16/mi), and the final 2 miles in 15:53 (7:57/mi). Am going to try to get an uphill challenge or a couple easy miles in tonight before bed.

Towards the setting sun
We run. Triumphing over
Our innermost fears.

"To keep from decaying, to be a winner, the athlete must accept pain--not only accept it, but look for it, live with it, learn not to fear it." - George Sheehan

Round 2, Day #24: 4 miles only (33:16; good for 8:19/mile) in the saga I like to call "Tales of the Sicko". I feel very lucky to have had so many people helping me this weekend between Aunt Deb, my mom, Harry, and Emma. I would not have survived without them. As my mom said, "Benn is a bad patient." I don't like non-running pain. It's funny how I can run a marathon and hurt like hell, but a tiny little ear infection and the wheels feel off. Woke up in pain and could feel the throbbing in my ears. I am on an anti-yeast med for my ear because we think I have a yeast infection. As Emm said, my ear smelled like "raw pizza dough". Maybe I can start a mobile bakery? Continued the alcohol/vinegar wash, popped lots of pain killers, and finally got some antibiotics tonight. To add insult to injury, my rear brake light was out again (we suspect a leak which is getting water in there) and while I tried to take the bulb out, I blew the fuse. Thankfully Harry and Mom helped me fix that and then I picked up new lights and window blades. Oddly enough the only time I was not in searing pain was when I was jogging. I just tried to tilt my head and relax and I did feel some of the crackling open up my ear. Just going to suffer through tomorrow and hope that it is better the longer out I go. What I learned: Thou shalt not stick Q-Tips into thine ears!

A Q-Tip surprise,

fresh baked ear yeast up for grabs.

Take the meds.... good boy!

"The pain is getting intense.... that is expected. Pain is the body's way of ridding itself of weakness. If it feels good, you're doing something wrong. It's supposed to hurt like hell." - Dean Karnazes

Round 2, Day #28: 3.10 miles only in 23:18, good for 7:30/ mile!! ; tempo run. Fell asleep on the couch after an exhausting day and week. Feeling better each day from the ear infection, but Friday's are my day to just let go and relax. After a wonderful dinner of spaghetti and low fat baked eggplant, I fell asleep watching an episode of "Reno 911". Got up at 8:30 and then changed and hit the ground running. Was a surreal experience and for most of the run I was in a runner's high. I don't get this often, just two or three times a year, so it was a surreal experience. It felt so easy and smooth, and I felt like I could run forever!

Invisible strength,
that ties these sinewy legs
to untrodden paths.

"Running teaches you that there's a difference between working hard and feeling bad. Consumer culture tries to teach us otherwise. How many television commercials talk about "making life easier"? If everything you knew about life came from TV, your goal would be to live the easiest, most comfortable and unchallenging life you possibly could. You would believe that the only good feelings are sensual pleasures such as the taste of a good soft drink and the fun of driving an expensive car and lying on the beach.

But it's just not true. Challenging and testing your mind and body, even to the point of exhaustion, failure, and breakdown, can feel as wonderful as anything else life has to offer. I suppose the enjoyment of hard work is more of an acquired taste than the taste for pleasure and fun, but once you've acquired it, you're blessed with more ways to feel good, and life is better. Harder and better." - Dean Karnazes