Pushing the Pace

Today I am grateful for a nice walk and conversation with my friend Betsy yesterday. I am also grateful for our dog Oliver and his consistent presence in our lives.

Yesterday after posting "Use of Force," I went for a run. I decided to push my pace, partly because I was a little pushed for time and partly because I was curious how I would be able to do. It felt both pleasant and a bit uncomfortable (at least according to my legs and lungs). In the end, I was glad I "forced" myself to run faster.

I was on a familiar loop we run that is just short of 3 miles. I know what my pace usually is (10:00 miles or slower) and I know when I am ahead of that pace. I got to my first "checkpoint" and was pleased with my 8:00 mile pace. I kept pushing it. By the time I finished, I had done the 3 miles well under 9:00 per mile pace, and closer to 8:30 per mile. That is no blazing pace, but it was a good pace for me and I will consider it my speedwork for the week.

There is also a hill on this 3-mile loop, in the last mile. It is a doozy of a hill, but one I am very familiar with. It is both a real and symbolic hill for me. Pushing my pace uphill is hard work. Living life each day can sometimes feel like hard work. One step at a time, though, the hill is completed and I can coast a little. One moment at a time, my day plays out.

It doesn't seem like such hard work one step at a time, one moment at a time. That is my plan for today. How about you?

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