Pain Pain Go Away

The run today was a little delayed. Headed out around 8:30pm. Dressed in layers tonight and it worked out wonderfully. I decided that some speed work might be beneficial, so I incorporated several sets on on/offs. The focus was on form, keeping the body relaxed, controlling breathing, and maximizing an efficient stride. By the fifth set efforts become more tedious and the work was noticeable.

I ran down to the mall again for a little motivation and entertainment. Figuring I would see plenty of exciting commotion. There were even more fences and barricades erected. The police were out in full force. Constant patrols in cars, police on 4-wheelers, k-9 units, and foot patrol. In fact, a police car follow me along the mall strip. I was wondering if it followed me because I was running through all the commotion or if he/she was just having fun driving around. There was so much stuff set-up I would describe tonight's run as a maze in a construction zone.

With all of those barricades and police vehicles roaming around I had to take several alternate and spontaneous changes to the typical route. More than once I ended up trapped inside the very places that the fences were intended to keep out. It was a little annoying.

Running past the white house I have never seen so many secret service and police vehicles around. Not wanting to seem suspect of something I didn't hang around there long.

There is a short path that runs along the reflection pool between the Lincoln Memorial and the Lincoln Monument, and at this point I was feeling very good. It was one of those runs where things just fall into place. Dean would call this "Flow". Little did I know that very soon this was to change.

Heading down the path I had passed a 4-wheeler doing it's patrolling duties, which kept me to the left of the trail. Soon after, a squad car was driving right down the middle of the path. Not even intended nor wide enough for a car I changed course and headed through the grass. Being that it was dark, it was hard to see the black chain link fence that would cause me to do a bail-out dive and try to save my face from the pavement as my right leg became entangled in the chain. Landing on my hands, and abruptly getting to my feet, the unmistakable warmth began to rise up the entire front of my shin. It's the feeling associated with injury that one knows will soon be followed by a more intense, and less soothing, feeling. As expected, the warmth turned to a burning and tight cramping.

At this point I was only 100 yards from the furthest point from home. As I jogged along I debated whether or not I should look. I imagined a long gaping wound with blood running out and though, "what would I do if this was the case?". Or, I could not look and ignore it as though nothing happened, but then again, it might be bad. I ended up looking. There was no gushing blood and it didn't as bad as it felt. I figured that the pain would go away if I did a few more on/offs and moved the burning up north a little to the legs and lungs.

I made it home and the leg was not nearly as bad as the story implies. Overall, it was an effective workout. On/offs tend to leave me sufficiently drained and the feeling of being well-worked. 9.2 miles altogether. From there I went into PT.

PT today was also an intense affair. In all, 25 pull, 125 push, 240 sit, and dips (discussed below). This PT workout left me intensely wondering why this body, this mind, that I belong to decides to take the hard road whenever there are easier ways to go. Thoughts go through the head such as, "what could I do to make this set harder? What can I do get get the most pain from this workout?" These are disturbing thoughts and I don't like them. Not at all.

After PT I was quite tired and irritable. There was a great deal of burning and weakness leaving the body. I didn't like how hard it was. Why did I do atomic sit-ups at the end? This terrible and awful person the dwells within makes life terrible for me, and it once again, it poked it's evil little head out as I was headed inside. This being from within thought, "hey, why not throw in some dips? How about doing the 15-10-5 set the Charles and Anton did?"
By dip number 7 I wanted to cry. I had to ask myself what kind of person I was and and forced myself to get it done no matter what. From that point I could only force out one dip at a time, and it involved a great amount of groaning and yelling.

I finished. At that time I hated working out so much that I didn't ever want to do it again. I thought to myself when I would write this blog I would end it by saying,
"I hate it. I hate it. But I do it."

In hindsight, the workout couldn't have been that bad because I was strong enough to move.
An intense workout it was today, and a long long story to go with it.

It is time to rest and eat until tomorrow when the pain and suffering continues.



Why do I run. I run so that hopefully in 10 days I might be able to run three seconds faster.