Anatomy of a Runner's Mentality

This is going to be a bit long so bear with it. It is worth it!

Two years ago I saw a sign that was like "hey you want to run a half marathon? We will train you." I laughed! Then I was that same bugger down the street at another intersection, and then again. So finally I was "YES ALREADY!". So I signed up and put my heart into the beginning then kind of slacked off a bit but kept going. I wasn't going to quit after I told everyone I knew and didn't know at the time that I was going to finish the Houston Half Marathon. I was plugging along clocking up the mileage and getting all excited because I am not an athlete, I am a ballet dancer. This was rockin' stuff man! Then I did a 10 mile run, felt fine but not great. The next day felt fine but not great. Every other step was excruciating. I just assumed it was because I had just done 10miles! I went to my Sports Medicine Doc who was also a marathon runner herself and she confirmed my worst fear. I broke my right tallus bone, the bone directly in the center of my ankle. I was out for the half. I was devistated to say the least. I was in the Blue group in my running group so I got a blue cast to signify that I was still a Bluer at heart. I gave up, plain and simple. Wasn't going to start so why eat right and think about training again? Who cared, I didn't. I didn't lace up my marathoning shoes for a full season. Then those annoying signs started popping up in July, so I decided that even if I had to have a conventional wheelchair where someone pushed me, I was going to finish.

Last night we had a non-tailgating tailgaing party. We never made it to the stadium, long story. Anyways, we were discussing the mindset of a runner how it can go from "yea, I am king of this craziness", to "holy crap, I may not start because of an injury". One of the coaches said it took him 30 seconds to switch when he felt an injury coming on. I piped up and said "It took less that that for me, the time it took to show me an x-ray." That brought on the usual comments that I always get when I tell my story... "You are doing this again?" "Are you nuts?" "Why?". I always respond with "because I want to prove to myself that I can."

In making these statements a coach who is superfast in my book and someone I look up to, was talking to another coach after I had left last night saying, "That is a runner's mind right there, I admire that." Woooowwwww! The highest compliment in my book!!!!! This is from a man who qualifed and ran Boston, New York, and Marine Corps Marathon. I couldn't believe it and still cannot. It is amazing!!!!!! It sure made the last part of my run today feel great! Thanks Trent!!!!