Wednesday, May 9, 2012

Running uphill

This is probably what I looked like....
After I struggled to run a short distance uphill today it got me to thinking.  Yesterday I ran 5 miles, no problems.  Yes the majority of it was downhill or flat, nevertheless I did it with relative ease.  Today I went out with a friend for a short 2-3 mile run, but not planning my run this time,  (and living on a mountain) the majority of this run was uphill.  After just the first mile, I thought I was going to die.  I was baffled, I ran 5 miles at a decent pace one day ago, and today, I can't even make it 1 mile up a hill.  This got me to thinking how this related to life.  When life is "easy" I just coast, everything seems to flow, and each day comes and goes with little consequence.  I don't think a think of it.  The days and weeks seem to pass effortlessly.  However, when hard things come up (imagine a hill), life slows down and it seems almost impossible to even get through the day at times.  What makes these "hills" so much harder, and why do I let them slow me down so much?  Great question.  I don't have an answer, and this may not even make sense, but I was thinking about it, so I thought I would type it out.  Why can a short uphill run have such a greater effect on my body (like making me want to just lay down and die), then a long steady run (which was actually enjoyable)?  Not even sure that made sense, just thinking out loud.
This is what I feel like some days, but this guy looks like he is getting through it a lot better than I do, I'd be on the ground crying at this point probably.