After a lull in my training due to varying reasons the past 2 weeks saw full action. Running 5 days a week and swimming on the other two days. As a result there was a total knockout on the Sunday! A summer full of tough days looms ahead with my new training schedule…….will I last?
Hard work is the only thing that will get me through this. Plodding through the forest one day after another, I move by putting one foot in front of the other. As I enter the forest the journey seems mildly challenging. The terrain is simple and the path is straightforward. Of course it’s harder than travelling along a straight road, but that’s the joy one gets while facing a challenge! Adding the Tuesday and Thursday track workouts to my schedule doesn’t seem daunting, and the strengthening post workout gets easier with each passing day and in the long run I envision myself flying across the finish line on race day.
As I ramble along amidst the trees and the occasional upturned root, my senses become keener, as the increasing foliage dims the light. This is when instead of the easy run; I take on savio’s advice and do fartlek. As these workouts become intense I make the most of any clear area which allows me to sprint. The easy 300s I do really easily and conserve my strength for the tougher days which require my entire being to focus and not give up
IT IS ONLY DETERMINATION THAT IS ABLE TO VANQUISH PHYSICAL EXHAUSTION.
The hanging garden hill repeats came in the thickest of the thicket! As we ran up the grueling 900m slope for the fourth time, my quads screamed for relief. Only dogged determination took me through my last rep! Now I am in the middle of jungle. No light, no path, only oppressive heat. A long fight ahead. Suddenly gnarled roots appear, tangled vines surround me and it becomes virtually impossible to move with the same tempo as before. . I need to keep moving in the right direction, be it small steps, but steps all the same. These moments of despair give one courage to withstand difficult days, build endurance and forge ahead towards the light
I will soon approach the mountain from where the real climb will begin.
As with learning anything new, be it music art or a sport, the beginning seems simple and fun, giving an illusion, that mastering it is within striking distance. Slow and steady progress clears the mist off this as reality stares me in the face…crystal clear…
HE CONQUERS WHO ENDURES…
Super!