When I quit running track in high school, I couldn't fathom ever wanting to run competitively again. I was done with that mess. Then, almost two years ago, I was inexplicably available during the weekend of the TIR. I had wanted to try training for it, because I was around co-workers everyday who had done it. I guess something rubbed off on me. The nerves set in right away. I thought I would help my training along by signing up for a couple of other, smaller relays and 5Ks. All the anxiety I had as a Track & Field athlete in high school came back to me, but I was determined to see it through. Something magical happened after the last TIR. I still wanted to run. I worked my way up to a half-marathon before I had to start training for this year's TIR.
But honestly, I equate this relay to something between a half-marathon and a full marathon. I'm running more than a half, but chopped into three legs. You would think that time would a good break for the body but really it's not. The lactic acid builds up, you get stiff, you don't really sleep, and when it's all said and done with, you feel like you've been hit by a bus. Or, at least I felt that way last year...
So why do it again?
I ask myself that a lot. It's like I keep forgetting. I'm running it again for the experience of it all. It's not just about the running. It's about who you run with, the racing community, and all the support that comes with it. I sort of want the whole experience at least one last time, and I think that will truly get it out of my system. My desire to train may be lacking now, and I'm tired of running and then being TIRED. But, I know in the long run that I'll be glad I tried. That, and you get a really neat-o medal at the end of the race. It was shaped like a cannon last year!
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