The Proverbial LIMIT

And like many races, my days as a runner have been stretched to see one last effort. Just as I was about to call it quits on running, I ended up logging one more effort than I imagined I was able to tolerate.

A few days ago, I ran a ten miler with a few buddies. Red line would probably be a good term to describe my effort on this run as there were many moments when I found myself wondering if I would make it back to my car before dying of heart failure. As with many near death situations, one may begin to reconsider some of their behaviors. The behavior I was reconsidering was running. While battling through the sharp stabbing sensation in my heart region, I had pretty much concluded that I would no longer complete runs as this one. Rather, I would settle for a 4 mile trot as my maximum effort in the future.

However, a few days passed and this was not the case. My buddies called me up to run, and I had intended to politely decline their offer; however, there was a basketball court in the area so I thought I would just play ball instead. So, I show up intending to just clown around with my friends before they take off for their run; then, I would begin to shoot around. However, the scene was pretty crowded around the courts, and for some reason, I persuaded myself into running. Realizing I wasn't a true baller, I figured I would run a couple of miles first; then, I would have a reasonable excuse for playing poorly when I got back to the courts.

So, I begin running. The pace is surprisingly manageable; however, I am worried they are going to crank up the pace in the later miles. Right as I was going to turn around, something convinced me to keep going; I ended up running 8 miles. I remembered the feeling of being in a race, and trying to hang on to the leaders. Then, right when I would be about to throw in the rag and settle; I would tell myself that I could hang on just one more lap. Strangely, this procedure often repeated itself for several laps. That is one feeling I hope that every runner gets that chance to experience; the feeling of overcoming what they previously thought was their LIMIT.