10K on the treadmill

I got to the gym early today, psyched to break the 10K barrier, which has held sway these past 36 years. Early because I didn't want my travails abruptly shortened, by some jaunty up and comer, looking to get his heart rate up, who'd bounce me off the treadmill. Psyched because it felt like today would be the day.

Loosening up, warming up, stretching all went like clockwork. I climbed on, set off at a brisk clip, and before I knew it I was 3k to the good, and "Eye of the Tiger" was keeping rhythm. The next 2ks were a little harder, but no real problems.

At the 5K mark the customary nagging doubts began ... i started to question my ability to go all the way. I began to feel every little tightening of the calf muscles, I sensed twinges of pain in the lower back and my quads hurt like hell. But I pulled through to the 7k mark blocking just counting numbers to keep my mind fom wandering.

Rasta running

At 7k, a new calm came over me, and I began to experience what I had only read about as a "runner's high." While i have no illusions about hitting this high at my pace and only 7ks of distance, I have no other way to explain what I experienced either. While I've read multiple versions of the reason for this experience, from the physiological to the metaphysical none of which make much sense, that it even exists is pretty cool!! From 7k to 11k I ran as though in a trance, and i only stopped because I had to get home ... and for the first time since I kicked off this madness, I STARTED TO BELIEVE!!