My sister started a blog and also I ran an 800 today

It's really good. I'll let her comment on this post if she wants to share it. It's really well written and she's using it as a tool to help process and also share her love of cartoons.

Which is great. A great concept for a blog. Not like mine which was born out of a compulsive need to put stuff out in the world for attention. 

Today I ran a hard 800. The hardest 800 I've run in recent memory. I haven't run the first lap of an 800 in 61 seconds since high school probably. Over 10 years ago. I felt okay. And then with about 250 meters to go I felt myself getting tense and a bear jumped on my back. Which should happen with about 100 meters to go in an 800. Not 250 meters to go. But that was good.

It wasn't a smart way to run a 800. I ran a 2:11. But I took myself to a place that I haven't been in a really long time. Like in years. And I think my running has really suffered because of it. It's been cool to go back and do all these things that I'd abandoned. Like stretch, and do drills, and run fast and do time trial 800s. I really love it. I'm seeing improvement. I'm racing a lot. And it's fun. I don't know. I think part of my knew that I didn't really enjoy running road races so infrequently. But I was really on a mileage kick for a few years. Maybe also some fear of injury. When I've dropped down to faster stuff I do tend to get injured pretty badly. Due to poor management of injury. And to be honest I'm not completely healthy right now. My hip has been bothering me off and on since March. But it's never affected a hard effort. 

What was I saying?

The hard 800. I wanted to talk about the pain. I'm sure I was an ugly sight coming up the homestretch. And then I don't remember falling to the ground but I was definitely down on the ground immediately after. I didn't pass out or anything. My body was just like, "on the ground. now." And I obliged. I was still feeling weird even like 30 minutes after. It was a trip. 

I kinda remember why I used to dread racing my senior of high school. I used to think it was because I was racing too much. Which was probably true. But I think I'd forgotten the kind of place you need to take yourself to when you run an 800. It hurts. It's not fun. On top of the regular stress of being a high schooler? Yeah, no wonder I was dreading it.

But now I'm like, oh yeah! Lemme feel something. So that's cool. It was kind of a spiritual experience. It's your brain not getting enough oxygen I guess. 

I'm really thankful for this like crazy side quest in the narrative of my life. Like I pursued all these totally different goals and it featured all these characters who have been somewhat on the periphery of my life for a while. I went back to a lot of things I thought I understood and learned new things about them. Honestly it's so cool. To be back in a place where I can set my own agenda for myself and see how people and opportunities sprout up around it. And you get support and learn stuff along the way. Very cool.

The 800 is like that. This thing that I did the most right before I left harrisonburg for college. This thing I've come back to as I've returned to Harrisonburg. I thought I was done with it and it turned out to be a think I should've come back to a lot sooner.