One day it started raining, and it didn't quit for four months. We been through every kind of rain there is. Little bitty stingin' rain... and big ol' fat rain. Rain that flew in sideways. And sometimes rain even seemed to come straight up from underneath. Shoot, it even rained at night...Forrest Gump
Okay…maybe it hasn’t been four months…then again it could be longer. In any event, the sun was shining and there were so many different things I wanted to do…but one thing I absolutely had to do. The leaves were soaked and the yard was, well, squishy. Still, I had to get the leaves to the tree lawn since the rains were sure to return. I went to the back yard where my neighbors’ trees had deposited a load and began to rake. I’d made a small dent and a couple of piles during the first hour, but the yard was so muddy and the forecast was for continued sun that I decided to finish the project on Sunday. ‘Why do today what you can put off to tomorrow’ I always say. With that, I headed for the Metropark and a Survival Workout.
I had to move quickly through the workout, though I managed to get in a couple of extra sets. I had to make it to Strongsville by 2:45 p.m. if I was going to see the District Cross Country Championships…the first step on the road to the state meet for high school runners. Once home, I showered quickly, made a huge smoothie, grabbed a chicken breast and jumped in the car. I made it to the course with 6 minutes to spare and found it, like all courses across greater Cleveland that day, to be a quagmire. Anna, Medina’s star runner, had an off day but qualified to the regional meet with a 5th place finish. Don Alexander has been working with her for two years and was perplexed by her finish. “She’s been killing the 1,000 workouts…running them faster than ever. She should be killing these girls…and she’s fifth? I don’t get it,” he said. “Motivation,” I said. “She’s healthy…her workouts confirm it…she’s talented…one of the best in the state and we know that from past performances so what’s left?” Though he may not want to accept it, Don has to come to grips with ‘motivation’. How important is it for any runner to win every time? The top 15 runners advance to the Regional Championships in a week and regardless of your place in that group, you all start in the same place at Regionals. Anna took fifth. She qualified. End of story. I don’t know her mind, but maybe she went out looking for a win…she was in first…but the fatigue of the workouts and the horrible conditions on the course got her to thinking ‘I just need to qualify…why kill myself?’ “If you win the state meet, no one asks you how you ran at the districts,” I reminded Don. His concern was that she wasn’t sending a message to other runners…that she was in killer shape and not still sick. No one knows her psyche but her…yes she has the talent and her coaches will have her ready, but only she knows how badly she wants it. We’ll find out over the next two weeks.
Mimi took Holly and me out for dinner at Kirtland Country Club…a place where no one has ever heard of the Paleo Diet. We made our way into the Lounge and the pre-dinner hors devours where few, if any, would satisfy the Paleo palate, but all looked wonderful. I stuck to the veggies. I ordered the Swordfish for dinner, which was served with the most delicious broccoli I’ve ever had though it tasted more like butter than any broccoli I’ve ever eaten before. Holly and Mimi split an order of tiramisu while I continued to munch on the vegetable appetizer. Had it been a hunk of apple pie or some warm chocolate chip cookies, I might have been tempted…but it looked way to fancy and upscale for my palate.
Survival Workout duration: 60 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 100 to 150 bpm.Calories burned during workout: 600.
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