The "zone"

I've been on vacation for the last several days, but that doesn't mean that working out is put on the back burner. The first day I was here, I ran 1 mile. It was the first time...ever! But let me be VERY honest...I wanted to quit half way through. Everything was burning, I couldn't get a deep breath, and my loving brother (who was supposed to be running with me)...well, lets just say he made it home before I did. Now, let me tell you WHY I didn't stop running...a moment of vanity on my part. I wanted to be able to tell the entire facebook world, that I had indeed run a mile, and I didn't want it to be a lie. So, I kept going.

On Saturday, my brother and I went biking at a local park that has a great, paved sidewalk to walk/run/bike around its perimeter. 1 lap = 1.75 miles. He and I did 4 laps, but not continuously. Sunday, He and I went to that same park and pumped out 2 continuous laps, twice for a total of 7 miles.

But today...this morning I ran another mile non-stop. This time it wasn't because of a status update, or even this blog (which I thought about a lot while I was pounding the pavement). No, this one was to see if I could put myself in "the zone". That place for walkers/joggers/runners where it's just you and the road; where everything fades dramatically in the distance. I think I got there a few times, for a few seconds each; but each time some pain would bring me back to reality.

Today, I do not understand when people say, "I need to clear my head. I'm going for a run." I could barely muster up the thought process to put one foot in front of the other, let alone have long drawn out converstations with myself.

Does this mean I won't run again. Nah! There is a sense of accomplishment when I say that I just ran a mile. But I don't think that at this stage in my developement, that I would ever say I need to go running to clear my head. Perhaps someone could give me some advice on how to get into and stay in "the zone".

Despite the lack of zoneness...let us, you and I, run with perserverance, this race marked out for us, and throw off everything that so easily holds us down.