Sigh. Things have been tough for several days at our house. Saturday’s (long slow distance) wasn’t as long as I had planned or hoped. We decided to run up at Gambrill State Park on a trail, but hubby’s feet began bothering him early and we hit the road as soon as we could find one. The total mileage should have been 8 but ended up a 3.5 mile run. Oh, well. I need to remember that I said I’d be happy running anything.
Today, mostly out of frustration with the intervals of life right now, I ran some SPD work on the treadmill. It is crazily blustery out today with wind gusts up to 40 mph so outside running wasn’t going to happen. I spent 5 miles calculating half-mile segments at various speeds in preparation for some YASSO training to prepare for the Cherry Blossom 10 miler in early April and for the Frederick Marathon in early May. The mind diversion from my woes of the day was a good thing. The woes are still here but I’m sure the run did me good.
In my QT (quiet time) this morning, the Lord was trying to show me something … something about the hyper-focusing necessary to do fast YASSOs. It’s not JUST focusing. It’s hyper-focusing. Running fast half-mile repeats demands a huge amount of concentration. I can remember using several different tricks to get through the 4 1/2 minutes or so: counting red dots on the T console, counting footfalls per minute, reviewing Scripture, going through prayer lists, focusing on the fact that there is only minute left … anything to get through the relatively short but fast effort.
The Lord, I think, was trying to show me that in these emotionally charged and challenging times with kids and a very sick dog, I need to hyperfocus. That ability to hyperfocus on the duration (hopefully short) of the interval or even how each footfall takes me closer to the end of the interval can be what gets me through it.
The flip side of INT running is that the strength or growth actually takes place during the RECOVERY running … not the fast running portion. Intellectually, I can get my brain wrapped around that; it DOES make sense. However, from the standpoint of the life Training aspect of it, I’m still trying to find my way. In these emotional hours and days, it only takes a minute of thinking to get my heart stirred up. The ringing phone could be a vet’s call. Flash’s whine, even if it’s just to change position, can restart energy expenditure. And with two teens, there is ALWAYS some issue coming up, frequently accompanied by drama.
So finding the recovery INT in my day seems like grasping oil. Maybe it’s less like not having the emotions stirred as it is more like reflecting on the emotions wrought. Hmm. Will have to think that through some more.
