Well today was a surprise, especially for me! B and I went running like we usually do on Monday mornings. Today I grabbed a banana first, under the theory that I needed some fuel for a long (for me) run. My goal was 28 minutes, no walking breaks.
When we run together, B is always the time keeper. He has this super-cool GPS unit* that he wears on his wrist to keep track of time and mileage. I also helps if we get turned around in the neighborhoods around ours. Anyway, I was doing really well. As I was nearing the end of the run, I began my usual round of complaining about how much I hate running, how bad I felt, etc. I told B to let me know when I was at some "inspirational" amount of time left, like less than two minutes. Not long after, he told me we were a 1:30. "Sweet!" I thought, "I can do that! I'm going to finish this run!"
A minute and a half past, and I thankfully slowed down to a walk. That's when Brian showed me the GPS. The time read 30:02! He pushed me to 30 minutes! He said that I didn't start complaining until 27:30, so he knew I could push through. I can't believe that I actually did it. Amazing how well deception can work!
One of my favorite movie quotes is from Gattaca. When the protagonist and his brother (who is supposed to be stronger) are competing to see who can swim farther in the ocean. At one point, the brother yells out "Vincent, we have to turn around" to which the protagonist responds "But we're closer to the other side!" In his mind, Vincent was swimming for the other shore - even if it meant swimming from California to Hawaii. Distance running is like that. You set your mind to do the impossible and tell yourself with every painful step that the other side is so much closer than that close, familiar shore.
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