Patience; the new endurance sport.

ROTC, Army drills, students, professors, SAHM are out in record numbers at the BYU indoor track.  Wow, we had that place to ourselves until today.  Must be all those New Year resolutions in high gear....

tried to run a few faster miles (8:30's)  it just felt like murder.  Man I'm out of shape....

Ran at the indoor track today.  The army was doing these huge formations on one end of the track and yelling stuff really loud in unison.  It felt scary. Then, there were a smaller group of men in fatigues getting yelled at by two commanding officers, and after getting yelled at the men in formation would have to yell things back.  It would go like this "Why did you do that Private?"  and then they would yell back "I Don't Know, SIR!" then "Never do that again"  and then "I've learned my lesson SIR!".  So every lap brought some new piece of the ongoing conversation which included public humiliation, mental and physical compliance, and retorical questions which can only be answsered by shouting an answer ended by SIR!  I never really thought about the emotional/mental training it takes to form an Army, but it's pretty fierce.  That whole thing will leave me thinking for many hours to come.  We ran 50 feet sprints every lap until my piriformis put an end to our speed games.  That little tiny muscle runs the whole hip/leg game.  It feels like it pulls my leg out of socket.  So I only got in 6 50 foot sprints out of the mileage. It was fun though, Marsha was a sprinter in high school and so she taught me sprinting form.  It is so different from the way I run, it was challenging to change mentality & form.  I'll have to do my strengtheing and stretching so I can do more of that.  It was fun.

Just paid $350 to fix my treadmill.  I celebrated by listening to Eminem's 'One Chance'--which pounds out a perfect 8:30 mile. 

So I read on Smooth's blog that we are 15 weeks from Boston.  Woops.  Better get movin. I've been thinking a lot lately about how some of the toughest people I know are foreingers.  My husband, a foreigner himself, often likes to point out how weak we American's are; emotionally crippled, lazy, with little endurance for discomfort (maybe he's just talking about me :)  But I think it's true in some ways.  We're made tough; to work, to  toil for our bread, and withstand famine when there is none.  When we don't find enough challenge in our lives, we invent ways to use up the extra energy we've needed for millennia to survive--and particularly in cushy middle America. We've all but lost the basic challenge of survival. Either that, or we have striven for so long to find the way to expend the least amount/reserve the most amount of energy needed to stay alive that we've just become lazy.  But what I need to remind myself is that I am made to do hard things, I can withstand hard things, I can overcome hard things--physical, mental, & emotional. I have learned a lot of patience in the past 5 years; a kind of emotional self control and discipline I lacked for so long.  I don't think I'll ever be as calm about living as some of the tough people I admire so much, but I'm getting there.  Running has helped me get there.    

Ran with Catherine and discussed the Grand Slam, not getting into Ogden, but running Utah Valley Marathon, Park City, and St. George.  I'm really feeling put out by the Boston Marathon.  It's kind of wrecking my winter running enjoyment. I did all that work to qualify for Boston last year so I could run it with Catherine.  This is really bumming me out. I've already missed 2 weeks of my regular marathon training schedule and I need to get a couple of 9 milers so I can start building the higher miles/speed again. After regular Saturday a.m running, I spent the rest of the day on the mountain with Michelle. It was a gorgeous day, clear air, pretty good snow quality, warm temps. Michelle has an awesome lime green one piece snow suit, that I say is totally fly and but she doesn't believe me.  Beteween runs, I asked if she would run Boston and she said she's saving herself for Olympic Trials in 2012. If she goes to Boston, she wants to go as an elite.  What would that be like? My lofty goals for Boston include not hurling or passing out before a 5 hour finish. Anyway, we skiied till our legs were trashed.  It was a good day.  I used to consider skiing 'cross-training' in the 'off months'.  You know how tired you get the month before the marathon with all those miles wearing you down?  With Boston on April 19th, those exhausting weeks will come late February/March--prime skiing season.  It's cramping my style.  But I chose this, and I do need to get a move on the miles and get my head into the game. I did set up this week who I'm staying with and who will drive me around.  I have found two more long-time buddies living in Boston.  I'm more excited to see all my friends, and have Smooth show me what to eat in Chinatown than actually run. I know it's a 'whole experience' kind of a thing.  But I still want to be able to do it with some amount of grace.  I've decided to take my long runs by ending on the long uphill inclines up Provo Canyon so I can get those up hill miles toward the end of my 20-24 milers.  Hopefully it will help me triumph over 'heartbreak hill' .  I