"There's only one hard and fast rule in running: sometimes you have to run one hard and fast."








Thursday, October 29, 2015

A Moment of Flow

Just when I wonder why I run, there's that moment that brings it back to me.

For the past few weeks, I've been trying, once a week, to run four 3/4 mile repeats at 5K pace. The first time, I fell apart 20 steps into #4. The next time, I fell apart in the last one, but finished it (and spent days recovering). Then, last week, it all came together:

Half-way through the last rep, I felt like quitting, but instead focused on getting each step right instead. Soon, though my body was screaming "you're suffocating! Stop! Just stop," my steps became light, everything came into sharp focus, the world grew silent, time seemed to dilate and I sped to the finish - where I collapsed in a heap, having run much faster than expected.

It's a sensation called "flow." It happens rarely, and for me it only happens when I'm pushing myself to the absolute limit every second.

That's why I run. Unfortunately, this has been an off week.

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