Miles Make Champions

I've taken a break from blogging. Not because I haven't been running. Not because I haven't had any thoughts, or any reports. This past week seemed a lot lower in miles compared to weeks past. Due to snow fall, icy patches, and the need for sleep my mileage decreased.

Monday: Rest
Tuesday: 8 miles
Wednesday: 8 miles
Thursday: 5 miles
Friday: 6 miles
Saturday: 22 miles
Sunday: 4 miles

There was no hill workout on Tuesday, and there was no 12 mile UofM loop due to work. But there was consistency, and there was a 22 miler. And for that, I celebrate. It was a windy day, but sunny. I always wake up with anxiety before a long run. I question my training and my capabilities. But as I met the group, I knew it was just another Saturday. Another day, to show what I was made of. And that is what we did.

During my 22 mile run, I had a lot of time to think. Naturally, my thoughts drifted to a book I had been reading, Unbroken. A story of resilience. A story of perseverance. A story of a man, and his will to live. Not only did I align myself with Louie Zamperini, as a runner. But I found myself in the story with him, struggling along side him. In his pursuit of the 4 minute mile, I felt his sweat, his pain, his determination. As he ran, I was running alongside him. When his plane crashed, and drifted endlessly in the ocean, I feared the sharks, right along with him. When he got to the POW camps, my heart ached as I experienced his pain. The crimes committed against Zamperini weren't just against him, but against all of humanity. He was stripped of his dignity, he was demoralized, he was devalued. When one loses their dignity, you have to ask if they still remain a person? Dignity is what separates humanity from every other living thing. I chewed on this thought for a while during my run. I got to thinking about other human issues that are taking place. Human trafficking. When one's dignity is stolen, life itself seems to be extrapolated. A little heavy, but helped pass the time.

Going in to this next week is going to be interesting. I am heading out to Scottsdale, AZ. I will be going from the chilly tundra to the sunny desert. My mileage will be low, but it will be nice to run in shorts and a tank top. I plan on running a 10k on Saturday. Not trying to race it, given I've been running longer, but it'll feel good to run on flat, smooth terrain. Here's to warm weathered running!