Yesterday I ran the first of three 20-mile runs on this year’s fall marathon training schedule. Sitting on the sofa having a cappuccino at 5:45am, I said to my husband, “By lunch time I will have run 30 miles in the past 24 hours.” What I did not say was I could not imagine doing this two more times before the race.
At lunch I spent several minutes groaning about my route. “There are too many hills in the second half. I hate running on the sidewalk toward Walmart. And I still had to run past the restaurant and back to the fire station. There must be an easier route. I would give anything for one week on flat land.”
When I finally got myself back to the sofa for an afternoon of TV, I watched as French cyclist Alexandre Geniez won the grueling 15th stage of the Spanish Vuelta. Geniez had broke away on a solo escape before the last of four category-one climbs to claim the 225-kilometer (140 mile) stage victory ~ the biggest of his career ~ crossing the finish line in 6 hours, 20 minutes, 12 seconds.
Some would argue this year The Vuelta is more grueling than the Tour de France with 13 of its 21 stages held in the mountains. The leader, Vincenzo Nibali, said “It was a tough day. It was very cold and windy,” Rain and cold temperatures forced 16 riders to retire with some showing signs of hypothermia.
When the leaders had reached the summit, I napped for a few minutes until Serena Williams started her match with Victoria Azarenka at the U.S. Open. Serena complained about the wind. Then she kept us on the edge of our seat while she missed match point after match point in the second set….and again in the second set tie breaker. It was obvious she did not want to deal with that swirling wind.
Tonight when I finished my chores I tuned in as Djokovic and Nadal were battling it out for the men’s title. The announcer was reminding us of their match at the 2012 Australian Open. It was the Grand Slam final match with the longest duration in history, lasting 5 hours 53 minutes. And now they are giving it all they have once again ~ as if it will be the last match they ever play.
Closer to home, we saw 26-hours where Mr. Boggs followed Dylan, one of our standard poodles, on an adventure through the mountains. Two weeks out of hip surgery, Mr. Boggs was just beginning to put weight onto that bad hip but still mostly walking only on three legs. I was a basket case all night worrying over where they slept, did they have water, did Dylan leave him in the woods to fend for himself…. I was a wreck.
A very nice couple called me when they found the two of them sleeping on their front porch. Mr. Boggs was exhausted, dehydrated and sore but he had survived this little adventure with his brother. Without fanfare he came back home, stitches still holding his incision together, and he went on about life.
Here stands four fine examples of why there is no reason to complain. You go out, do what you have to do with the circumstances you have been given….and you just get on with it.
One 20-mile run down. Two to go.
The Fartlek 