We have all had them. Those days that you just do not feel like taking one step out the door. You know you should run. You know there is no reason not to run. You just do not want to run. Most of those runs, once I drag myself out there, end up being some of my best runs. I end up going farther and faster than what I planned. Then there are the days, excited or not, you get out there and nothing feels good. You planned on going a certain distance and not even halfway into it you just feel dead. Your legs feel like they weigh a ton each. Breathing is more laborious than normal. Muscles feel tight. You just never get into rhythm. Those are the days that I think are some of the most important days to run. It doesn’t matter how you get out there or how you got through your run. It doesn’t matter how slow you went or how many times you walked. All that matters is that you got through that run. Those days teach you to push through the hard times. Those days are the days that let you know you can get through the worst part of the race. Pushing through those mental blocks makes it much easier to push through any mental block in a race. I personally feel that it even translates to everyday life and makes it easier to push through the hard times in our lives. Pushing yourself in a run beyond what your mind tells you in can, allows you to push through times in your life when you feel like there is no push left. So in the words of Joe Dirt, “Keep on, Keepin on.”
Tom is an ambassador for the track club, loves meeting new runners and helping them with any questions they have. You can see Tom at our Monday Night Well Run and at many races across the city giving soft tissue massages.