Wormy Circles

Last week I had another training day at the track.
Running the track is actually a new kind of training for me (told ya I was doing new, fun stuff) and I can actually count the number of times I have run on a track post high school-which is three, not including my last two prescribed track sessions.

It appears that rainy Wednesdays are really good days to run on the track or at least that is the way things are turning out! The previous week's 8.5 miler was just after torrential rains, but it was a balmy 60* and ended up being quite a nice run. I was dodging puddles and tons of earthworms- the rain brought out the little pink slimy guys and they were all over the track. I felt so bad for all the little buggers I crushed. And the sea gulls were crowding the lanes, having themselves a tasty morning snack. But I was running in shorts and a tee shirt in MAINE in NOVEMBER. This is epic stuff!! Plus, concentrating on what I was doing (HR zones) was distracting from the fact that I ran in wormy circles over and over again. I walked off the track feeling good and thinking, that did not suck.

The next track session was longer, a little more intricate and the weather was not as  friendly. It was barely 39*, drizzle to start and by the middle of my session it was full on RAINING.
Cold, wet rain.
My feet were wet, my hands were cold and I was really trying to nail the pace that Coach had set for me. I kept going out way too fast on the 800's so it was a cat and mouse game with the pace.
But at no time during this run did I think:
THIS SUCKS
I mean, yeah. Running on a track is not my first choice. Neither is running in the rain, and COLD rain at that.
While I was running though, I was thinking about my goals for 2012 and beyond. I was taking a walk down memory lane being at my High School and all (has it really been 20 years??? damn) and then I thought about change.

How much I have changed. How much my mental attitude has changed.

Just a few years ago I would not not walk from my front door to the car in the cold rain without complaining.
And here I was NOW.
Running 10 miles,
on a track,
in the cold, pouring rain.
There's a change for ya.
And I was doing this without prodding, without negotiation. I was doing this because I wanted to. Because I knew that this would make me better, stronger. I mean, no one training session is going to change you physically but jumping over those mental hurdles can.

So here's to doing something new
Stepping out of your comfort zone
And running in Wormy Circles

How did you bring POSITIVE change to your life recently??