I love the mile.

Friday, May 28th, 2010

I was back at Austintown Fitch High School for the finals of the High School Regional Track Championships. Kim and Jimmy had both come along and we were talking about next week in Columbus and some of the great match-ups that were sure to develop. I typically go down Friday night and camp out at Alum Creek State Park where I’ll sit around a camp fire with runners I’ve had the pleasure of coaching over the years and we’ll talk about past running achievements, my blog, the Adirondacks, and anything else that interests me. I don’t care what interests them.

I will be particularly interested in the Division One 1,600 meter championship (the metric mile) because I’ll be cheering for the son of my old friend and business partner, Don Alexander. His son, Colby, will be a favorite to win – he’s got the fastest time in the state going into the meet, but the competition will be stiff and it will be no easy task. Ohio tends to be an extremely strong state in track and field and often has one of the nation’s top 5 performers in the 1,600. Colby was third in the indoor nationals this past spring and is running extremely well right now, but to win at the state meet takes so much. I tell my runners ‘expect to win – it never happens by accident’ and Colby will definitely toe the line with that thought. It takes much more, though. Great training, peaking at the right time, excellent race strategy, and contingent plans. Mostly, it takes an inner drive and voice that says over and over ‘this IS my race. No one can have it. I AM going to win’. No one wins without ‘the voice’.

I suppose it’s that same voice that helps anyone achieve their fitness and health related goal. Losing the weight, sticking with the program, not eating that fattening thing – it’s all about the inner voice sending along the right message and us actually listening. Mine is strong right now and giving me all the right messages – and I am listening. I’m also achieving. No big surprise, I suppose.

Today’s run was pretty rough. It’s been hot and humid the last two days and although yesterday’s hour run was smooth as silk and fast, I was dropping large amounts of water and likely had not replaced it all when I started today. Twenty minutes into the run, my body was telling me to take it easy…and I listened. I decided it would be a 40-minute day, at best. I slowed down and plodded along – taking what the weather and my body would give me. “Keep it easy – if it’s not, you’re working too hard,” I reminded myself as I ran. It’s the mantra that has gotten me this far and it worked again. By the time I reached the car, my shoes were squishing and I’d dropped another 5-6 pounds of water. I really had to get this back in since I would be running tomorrow, but not until after I’d done about 6 hours of landscaping for my friend. Drink or die, baby.

Run duration: 43 minutes.

Training Heart Rate: 140.

Calories burned during workout: 730.