Enough

Today was the first day in a couple of months when I felt like I was really training again. And damn if it didn't feel good...

I set the alarm for 10 and was out the door by 1030 driving to Oak Mtn with my Stumpjumper loaded in the truck. By 1130 I was on the trail, there were blue skies and temps in the high 80s. It was perfect.

I rode the double oak trail, a 17 +/- mile loop of mostly rocky/rootsy singletrack with 4 miles of fire road, in 1:33, about 15 minutes faster than the same loop last week. I saw only one hiker and one other biker the entire ride. I couldn't begin to count how many squirrels I scared off.

By the time the ride was over it was 91 (who ever heard of 90 + degrees in October??? this global warming thing is gettin' serious dude!) and my legs were tapped.

I drove home, ate a PB&J and rehydrated, and then went for a run.

This was going to be my first real "long run" since the injury, and I had 10 miles to cover. I decided I would run 45 minutes out and turn around to give me 10 ish miles at an easy pace. Unfortunately I forgot that I needed to run an easy pace. After 20 minutes and about 3 miles I realized that 10 miles wasn't going to happen. Too hot, legs already tired, too fast a pace...

So I broke off the planned run and made it a loop that ended with about 6 miles in 50 minutes over rather hilly terrain. Not what I wanted, but I'll take it.

Any destination worth reaching has setbacks along the way. Whether it's my broken foot, an unexpected heart condition, or perhaps an even more threatening illness, the setbacks are painful and sometimes leave you questioning "why me?"

Perhaps the better question might be "why not me?" I see every day people devastated by disease and injury. These people are absolutely no different than me and you. They have families, kids, jobs, homes, hobbies. It's easy to look at someone crippled from a car wreck or hairless from cancer and feel sorry for them. But feeling sorry for them is almost feeling sorry for yourself, because that could be, can be, and very possibly will be you at some point. Noone is immune...

So today I didn't get what I wanted, but I got just enough. Enough to let me know that I'm healthy. Enough to make me thankful for what I have while I have it.

And that's plenty enough for me...

Thanks for joining me for My Daily Spin.

The Target

I read the waiver,

I clicked the box,

I gave them my card,

And now it's official...

I'm in!