Motivated to Succeed

Round 2, Day #79: 7 miles; 5 miles with Michael and two new friends around the Arcadian Shop loop. Was 21 degrees. Had a blast and was fun, even in short shorts and the wind. We got one honk from a passing car.. I would like to think it was because of my sexy legs. Best part was that Michael gave me a banana to eat on the way home! Tasted so good! Got home and did 2 miles on the treadmill to warm up because I was pretty much an icicle! Now up to school to do work. Homemade guac with a Guinness tonight I think!

Hold fast in the wind,
Struggles bring bigger triumphs!
Conquer inner fears.

The ideal in the Lieh-Tzu is a state, not of withdrawal, but of heightened perceptiveness and responsiveness in an undifferentiated world. My mind concentrated and my body relaxed, bones and flesh fused completely, I drifted with the wind East or West, like a leaf from a tree or a dry husk, and never knew whether it was the wind that rode me or I that rode the wind. -The Book of Lieh-Tzu

Round 2, Day #79 (Part II): 4 miles in the evening relaxed pace in 35:01. Felt good to just breathe deep, get some light reading in and just relax and prepare to conquer this week. Possible snow day on Tuesday, half day on Friday and flying Friday night to Indiana for what I hope will be a new PR marathon. Got to keep the nerves in check and not do anything foolish this week. Maybe one "pace" run and try to dial in to a comfortable pace, but I think I can still push harder than I did the indoor marathon. With all those laps and turns, I think I can take at least the 7 minutes off and nab a sub 4 marathon. I know I can. I know I can! Now to relax for the evening and enjoy a Guinness Extra Stout and homemade guac!

Seltzer bubbles hurt,

when ingested through the nose.

Guinness where art thou?

"Extreme patience and persistence are required,

Yet everybody succeeds at this before being handed 

The surprise box lunch of the rest of his life." - John Ashbery 

Round 2, Day #80: 2 miles late at night in 15:40; good for 7:50/mile. Just a couple miles to get it done. This week is taper week so I am going to have to watch my diet and make sure I keep loose without pushing too hard or getting cocky.

Lemmings bring intrigue 
into stalwart youth and yet,
we follow the leader.

"Moments are what make up the character of either a lifetime or a long-distance run, not endless days or hours. I have no idea whether every minute I've ever lived - or spent on the road or trail - is actually recorded somewhere deep in my brain. Once in a while, something will pop into my consciousness after decades, and I'm surprised to discover that it was there all along. But I really don't care whether it's the tip of a Freudian iceberg or just a random fragment floating in a mostly empty storage space." - Ed Ayres

Round 2, Day #81: 4 miles relaxed in 34:44, good for 8:41/ mile. Finished Ed Ayres book after 3 hours of work up at school today planning out the rest of the week and the week in review quiz for Friday when I am out. What I love about Ed Ayres is that he just "gets it". He is a runner through and through and he tells it like it is. Though I don't know him I feel like we just ran together and he was there alongside chewing my ear off (in a good way). 

Patience grasshopper
One must practice before he
Takes the leap of faith.

"In almost anything worthwhile, and especially utrarunning, rushing to achieve success is a big mistake. Our culture has conditioned us to reflexively expect quick success. But quick success is the artificial, largely illusory, lure of an unsustainable civilization." - Ed Ayres

Round 2, Day #82: 4 miles easy recovery run in 35:00, good for 8:45/mile. Started reading a new book, Showdown at Shepherd's Bush by David Davis. Am really getting into it. Davis writes as if he is retelling the epic stories of years past, not seeking to reevaluate and rewrite. It's a nice change of pace. Marathon looms on the horizon!

 Quadriceps loosen,
Side step and stride over the
imaginary

"The earliest practitioners of the marathon race, invented in 1896, introduced a different kind of motion. At a time when competitive runners rarely ventured past five miles, and at a time when knowledge of the human body was primitive, they were pioneers of endurance. They were seen as superhuman or crazed or both." - David Davis 

Round 2, Day #83: 2 miles easy in about 17:00. Getting set and stoked for tomorrow's flight to Indianapolis. Hoping for big things this weekend at the marathon.

Boldly spearheading
a charge to smite the demons.
Push on towards greatness.

"The growth of sports could only have happened with the myriad innovations of the Industrial Age, when "[a] world of stone and wood, powered by animals, wind and water was completely remade into something entirely new, forged of steel and iron, and powered by steam, coal and oil."  

Round 2, Day #83: 1 mile only in 8:41 before finishing my packing and hopping on the plane bound for Indianapolis. Getting nervous about what is in store and what I will accomplish tomorrow. Praying for a smooth flight, turbulence free and void of any significant problems. Found out that the hotel is actually 20 mins in the WRONG direction, so I will be staying at the Super 8 - Indianapolis actually south of Indi. oops. Just makes for a longer commute to the race tomorrow. Hoping for a great race. I've done the training and hope that everything else comes together nicely.

Nerves govern actions
Mind over body... Relax.
Achievement is close!

"A promise must never be broken." - Alexander Hamilton