Sunday, Cruddy Sunday

Sundays suck. There, I said it. There's not a day in the week I loathe more. The boredom is unbearable. Piles upon piles of homework have been put off until this magical day wherein I have absolutely nothing to do, and can therefore study!! But, that's not how it works. Instead, I procrastinate even more, switching from TV to computer in an endless game of what's the least boring thing I can do right now. In rare bursts of excitement, I have the TV on WHILE searching the web on my laptop... I know, crazy right?

But that's not all. Sundays are an end, but a new beginning. My head is brimming with post-race euphoria, but at the same time sowing the seeds of worries. Next weekend's race is already at the forefront of my mind, along with getting into shape and running a mark that would get me on the team bus! Ah, the endless cycle of a runner. The only true time I'm not nervous or preparing for my next race is Saturday afternoon.

I remember this feeling, and not surprisingly, it's one of the feelings I didn't miss. Minute layers of stress are woven thinly between my day to day activities, constantly in the fabric of my life. It's a rarity that I can be completely oblivious my nerves. However, I'm ready. I have never been this mentally prepared to take on and overcome an obstacle. I just wish my body was on the same page...

I'm officially a zombie. Well, either a zombie, or an old man. Standing up takes so much effort, and the shuffle to the toilet this morning nearly cost me a year of my life. I think my legs are plotting a mutiny...

So let's see... 68.9, 68.1, 65.3, 45.9. We went out slooooooooow. However, I'm not complaining. It just might have been the perfect race for me to test my engine. Our "blistering" 2:17 through the half felt smooth, and I got to experience some tactics. I also found out just how bad a mile hurts when you haven't adequately prepared for it. I raced way outside my training level. But that was just step one. Next week should be 2:10 through the half, and I hope to be around 4:02 for the 15!

But that's a week away. For now, there's a gaggle of research projects, papers, exams, and abstracts to attend to in order to keep my academic life from getting lapped. Then again, it is Sunday.... I'll probably just wait until tomorrow to start all that crap. Here's an awesome quote, instead.

EVERYONE should read the book "Once a Runner" by John L. Parker Jr.


"From the crucible of inner turmoil come the various metals, soft or brittle, flawed or pure, precious or common, that determine the good runners, the great runners, and perhaps the former runners...(and the great runner sits) there in the quiet tiled solace of the early afternoon locker room, knotting his loathsome-smelling laces for yet another, Jesus God, ten-miler with the boys. Once a runner..."- John L. Parker Jr.