Does this post need an introduction? It depends. If you are one of those awful people who actually watch individual TV shows derived from illustrious TV series when they appear on TV every now and then, you probably don't follow this blog post by post, so I guess that answers my question. A quick intro will suffice. Here we go.
After an unreal start of the season consisting of an 8th and 6th place overall finish in the two first meets of the year, the fire was burning so hot that the fuel was eventually mismanaged. Not unlike in our lovely home at 18 Greening, the oil was there, but the furnace was not running properly. A mini-burnout, if I can even call it that, lead to a nightmare on Judgement Day that saw me picking myself off the ground for the second time in my life wondering where I was while others were collecting prizes on the StFX soccer field. A fainting spell that caused me to acquire unwanted - and likely unnecessary - medical attention lead to my banning from training with the team until I receive the nod from Doc, or as it seems to be called, the 'clear.'
That is where I left you. On the medical side of things, this concept of 'clearance' is sounding more mythological by the day, as I am unsure where to turn my head in search of answers. One negative test leads to another, one waiting period brings me to the next, and meanwhile, I am exposing my fitness in unconventional ways. AUS was not in the cards, and based on the lethargic pace of the completion of my always-expanding medical file, neither is CIS. After last year's utmost catastrophe of a freshman season, if we can even call it that, this was the year of redemption. This thought, that I am missing my second consecutive championship season, is what haunts me most. I do not need to prove anything more to myself, for I have reached a level of fitness which I thought was still a few years away after last year's said catastrophe. But, the thirst to measure oneself to a plethora of their peers from all over the country is what motivates every runner to the core, and it is something that I will regretfully be missing out on. However, it would be idiotic of me to pack it in and call it a season. Work without reward is useless. Just ask the Leafs.
So with this in mind, I followed my ego back to PEI for the weekend to enter the Wally Rodd 10k. With a collection of 10k workouts in the legs, I had a pretty good feeling about this one. A fast course on a chilly day brought me to a time of 32:41, besting the previous course record by a tiny margin of 3 seconds. This constituted a personal best for me by over 80 seconds. It made the 3-hour-long trip back home with Neuffer and his iTunes playlist worthwhile, and it will make watching CIS a little more bearable. Another great event run by Ready2Race. Results can be found here: http://results.chronotrack.com/event/results/event/event-11147
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| Not as bad of a finishing face on that day |
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| Met up with Joel and Luc on the start line. They ran the 5k with Luc placing 1st and Joel 3rd! |
So this road race (and perhaps a certain impromptu track time trial) was the best lemonade I could come up with. Moreover, I consider this chain of events to be the end of a new beginning. Never had I thought that after being as sick as I was that the comeback would have been so quick and effective, and for that I can only be thankful. Looking forward, the obvious goal is only to build from one season to the next. At the moment, there are about 10-20 different plans in the making for what races we will sign up for in anticipation for next year's dance. What is it about newfound speed that summons such wanderlust? I don't know, but for now it's exciting. To hold on to this fitness and to take it to new levels are the objectives. If clearance doesn't come quickly enough for me to run AUS track, there is always Obamacare.
But, for now, I am strapping on the pompoms and playing the dreaded game of 'where would I have finished at CIS?' which consists of looking at Cal's placement - no matter how he runs - and very optimistically claiming to him that I would have been 5 spots higher. In all seriousness, it will be great to see the guys and girls duke it out with the best. The work we put in together in those long fall months will undoubtedly pay off. And you better not catch yourself fighting with an X runner with 2k to go, because remember - We are not tired. We are not tired.
Mind is conditioned.
See you on the rock.
AC
