Today I Ran

Today was a tough day! Anyone who is training, whether it is for a Ironman, half Ironman, marathon, a local 5K or more importantly just to be healthier individual will have tough days. However, I have come to discover that the tough days are the most rewarding.

Let me give you some background on me. You probably all know by now that I was a touch overweight(okay, 30lbs) and not in great shape(ran a 12 minute mile) at the beginning of 2008. What most don't know is that I was diagnosed in September of 2007 with Psoriatric Arthritis(PA), a disease very similar to Rheumatoid Arthritis. PA primarily attacks the SI joint in the lower back and the hip joints. It is also a Symmetrical Arthritis meaning it will appear on both the left and right side of my body. If I get inflammation in my wrist it would be in both wrists. Since losing all the excess weight and starting to exercise it has improved dramatically, but I still have those tough days. Usually, I know when it is coming. Things like not enough sleep, poor diet, change in weather and stress generally make it flare up.

Well, I have a 2 week old, we are in the process of being bought out at work, it's spring and so the weather is hot one day and cold the next so you can imagine how my body feels. But, the alarm went off at 5:45 this morning waking me for a 45 minute level 2 run. It took every ounce of energy I had just to get out the door, but it had to be done. I ran the first mile at just over a 10 min pace and everything hurt. But, as I got further and further into the run I began to feel better and better. I kicked it up the last hill and made a sprint for the driveway to finish just over 4 miles at an average 9:35 pace and my average heart rate was around 140. A perfectly executed workout and more importantly a workout that gave me great satisfaction. It once again made me realize it is the tough days that make you successful, if it was easy we would all be doing it with greater frequency. So once again I am reminded of a quote that I once read from a professional triathlete:

"If you ran without sacrifice, congratulations you just jogged.
Running hurts, it always has. It teaches us that good things do not come easy. It teaches us that we are capable of more than we think. It teaches us that hard work will be rewarded and laziness will be punished. Don't expect to learn those life lessons from jogging. Next time you suffer on the roads, suffer proudly.
You just RAN."

"TODAY I RAN"