Turning Point

Today I had a really great long run.

I'm not the kind of runner who normally likes to travel during training. It might sound crazy, but a little bit of routine in my life gives me security. I honestly would go crazy running the same route every day, but there is something reassuring in knowing every rise and fall of a run and gauging my effort accordingly. Rexburg has been an enigma for me.

The left-brain part of me looks at my new hometown as a sore spot on the map; wind, snow, hills, etc. always provide some reason to not have the idealistic "perfect" run. I think I dreaded the first few runs I put in up there when I would visit my parents.

Now, I feel that we've made peace with each other. I agree to withold my enmity and frustration and Rexburg generally leaves me in peace. It may blow at my face nearly every step, but I've learned to accept that. In general, I have learned that numbers don't tell the entire story (hence the creation of this third-party app). I'm more content with slower paces when I'm up there, because I know that I can't climb hills at 5:50/mile as easily as I can down in the valley. Disregarding the wheezing, huffing, and puffing that ensued during my final climb home, I know that I am really fit right now.

This run marked the first day of October, which offers a turning point in my still young running career. A year ago, I wouldn't feel confident saying that I was healthy. Chronic hamstring soreness and a less-than-stellar mental attitude seriously debilitated my sophomore cross country season. It ended prematurely two weeks later when I finished 9th in the B race at the Wisconsin Invitational and later hobbled on the plane with a peroneal tendinitis injury that would haunt me to the day I was cut.

I can tell that this year is different; I don't hesitate to tell myself that I'm fit. I don't fear what will happen if I push myself to a new level. In fact, I expect to be on a new level. My friend and teammate Nico told me as much: you either expect to be great or expect to be mediocre. I've set high goals for what I hope to accomplish this season.

1) Finish in the top 100 in Terre Haute (still in the process of revising)
2) Be in bed by 11p every night to get 8-8.5 hours of sleep
3) Give every run a consistent effort.

My mantra for the year: Finish what you started.

Here's to another month in unfamiliar but welcomed territory.