Motivation

Well, great news to share…..While I haven’t posted of late, I have been
running and I have been given the “Green Light” to return to running. I
had to stop running in around mid June due to some possible health
conditions at that time. Health conditions regarding my heart. Well,
after being poked, prated, scaned and exrayed, the conclusion is that
“I do have a heart”!
I was told to return to running and exercising and that is what I am

I was feeling sick, tired and weak when I got to Potts Field for a key final track workout before heading to England for the British Championship 5k for Old Gits who Really Should Know Better.

I didn't take a day off training last week and got up to 46 miles, which is a big week's total for me...today it seems to have caught up with me.

We did a track session early yesterday morning -- 3 x (2 x 800)-- and later in the day I did a Pilates circuit training session; even so that doesn't explain the dense fatigue I feel today. I've had TWO naps and am still struggling to stay upright long enough to do any work.

I must be getting better; I've started dreaming again.

All three races -- all 5ks -- that I've run this year have been weird in some way. The Oatmeal was my first race for 5 months; I'd forgotten what to do and practically jogged the first mile. The President's Day 5k in Washington Park was so cold I had to warm up in the car. Last weekend's Sharin' O' the Green was unexpectedly cold, so I ran in a tracksuit -- AND the course was a tenth of a mile long.

Wise words from America's new great distance hope Ryan Hall -- well, his coach, actually, come in an informative interview up on the Running Times website here.

I recently heard it said that people do not exercise because they believe that it will kill them (literally!). The feeling of heart rate going up is scary when you are not used to it. In a few cases pushing things actually is dangerous given various diseases and problems but in most cases it is just plain old fear of something that is unpleasant.

I've from time to to time had the opposite belief, namely that if I do NOT exercise it will kill me. When taken to an exreme this mindset has some similarities to its opposite. The motivating force in both cases is fear...

Five world records, eight gold medals -- it's a normal day at the office for the worlds' greatest swimmer, Michael Phelps. The phenomenon is going for a possible 10 (yes, TEN) golds in Beijing.

Phelps is apparently a bit of a klutz and is banned from running because he will inevitably fall over and break something, but that's not why I got inspired reading an interview with him published in this month's Outside magazine.