1 August 2009

After the Run Ritual

I woke up at 5:45 to join my running group for an 8-miler (which I finished in 1:14… not too shabby). This has become my after-the-Saturday-long-run ritual: bath with epsom salts and a green monster, extra green. In the mix this time:

• 1/2 C almond milk
• 1 nectarine
• 1/2 C watermelon
• 1/2 banana
• 3 T hemp protein
• about 2 C spinach
• a few ice cubes

All the fruit made this monster super sweet. It’s amazing how sweet something can get with absolutely zero added sweeteners.

I have to say, today I was reminded again about the incredible things the human body is capable of when trained correctly. For a mile or two, I was running with a drop-in runner who said the longest he’d ever run was 4 miles. But this was the type of guy who just looks like a natural runner. He was tall, thin, and looked pretty athletic. He was one of those people you look at and think, “I’m sure he could run if he wanted to.”

But he was lagging and had to slow to a walk before we reached the end of the run. I had slowed down so as not to leave him behind, but I wasn’t going to start walking, so I  had to pull ahead. I felt bad for him, but at the same time, I realized once again the power of proper training. Six months ago, I could barely run a mile, but now, 8 miles is starting to feel normal. I’m not injured (besides the mega-calluses, but thanks for all your great suggestions!) and I feel great. The human body is capable of adapting to nearly anything.