..."And not one of them was prepared, truly prepared to believe that it had NOT so much to do with chemicals and zippy mental tricks ( or fancy equipment ) as with that most unprofound and sometimes heart-rending process of removing, molecule by molecule, the very tough rubber that comprised the bottoms of her training shoes. The Trial of Miles; Miles of Trials.”
If you haven't read Once a Runner, you should. The quote aptly refers to doing the WORK. Swim, bike and run hard enough that you remove, molecule by molecule the very tough rubber of your training shoes.
I ran a double run session today which looked like 12 aerobic miles in the morning followed by a light spin and then 10 miles in the evening with specific pace/tempo work. This double run workout is great for glycogen sparing and the ability to do faster pace running with less chance of muscle breakdown/fatigue as compared to doing one continuous 22 mile run.
I started the run on fatigued legs and it took some effort to finish that first morning session It took even more effort to get my butt out the door for the second round. As I neared the 20 mile mark today it occurred to me that if I wasn't 'training' for these crazy endurance events I wouldn't have done that second run. I would be living in the gray instead of mustering the fierceness to take big chances and dig in real deep and cry and hurt and laugh and win and lose.
I am deeply thankful for endurance racing and training for the daily lessons learned: Life is tough darling, but so are you. #DoWork it pays off.
