This is a little personal entry - which, so I hope, may have a little motivation in it for you.
I have just had 10 difficult days as a runner. First I got one of these annoying injuries, which hurt, but unlike a broken leg, one can't really tell why they hurt and what can be done to stop it. To add insult to injury, I was visiting my brother in London - which was supposed to be a highlight in terms of running - and left without a shared spin around the canals. Back in NYC I bought new running shows (this in my mind was the only possible reason for the strange tweaking) and - voila - the pain got less with every step... (Training Tip: Don't run more than 300 miles in your shoes!)
All good then? Not really! I had one of these weeks were I seriously questioned (again) the idea to spend so much time running around, sweating, sometimes in pain, sometimes tired... I kept working off miles - asking "why" every single one of them.
I found one answer finally this morning. I entered Central Park slightly annoyed at the prospect of pushing my still tired legs through 18 lonely miles when I almost crashed into some 20,000 runners... By pure accident the NYC Half Marathon had just been started and I joined the flowing mass of heads, arms and running shoes.
Goose bumps all over - despite the impressive heat - just 1 mile later. The feeling for running was back. "Why" was not a question anymore. I was completely taken by the spirit in the field of runners, spectators and the surrounding City. I saw the many runners fundraising for a worthy cause: Go I thought. I saw those T-shirts full of passion, love or meaning - I connected with many while I passed. I heard the supporters - imagining they cheered for me too. The route took us down the streets of New York and I had a flash back to last years Marathon - I suddenly couldn't wait to conquer the city once again.
I returned home after more than 2 hours and some 19 miles, utterly spent, thirsty, hungry. And, as I noticed myself planning out the next training cycle before I even did the last step, I had to smile...
