You're a Rule Breaker, Klerowski

Today, I broke the rules.

I didn’t mean to. It just happened! I was at the gym, minding my own business, pumping my iron and cursing the man who invented pull-ups when I saw them . . . Across the room, all in a row, looking like they were in pure painful ecstasy.

Runners

They were huffin’. They were puffin’. Pony tails were sashaying in the “wind” and the sweat gleamed off their arms like models in a photo shoot. They looked at me with disdain because I wasn’t in their shoes doing battle on the “mill.”

I looked at them with envy because my knee is acting up and I’m supposed to give it a rest from all the pounding.

The plan was to warm up on the bike, lift heavy weights to target all my muscle groups (back, arms, chest, quads etc.) and do my interval elliptical routine. 30 minutes of alternating your speed with resistance. In a word: Boring.

The hum of the treadmills called to me like a long lost friend.

“Vrrrrmmmmmmmm…commmme…runnnn…onnnnnn…ussssssss.”

I swear if treadmills could talk . . .

I climbed on my favorite ‘Mill’ (the one on the left in the back row), put my water bottle in the right pocket, sweat rag covering the time on the left, took a breath, thinking: “Kelly said no running . . .” and hit ‘Quick Start.’

I promised myself that I would stop the second I felt the slightest twitch in the left knee. After 5 minutes, I knew the coast would be clear so I set myself up for intervals. Muahahahaha – I am so bad!

Intervals are the best way to jazz up your routine making you a faster and stronger runner.  They're also one of the hardest things to do.

Today I focused on speed. I built up my pace for the first 5 minutes, then for the next 25, sprinted for 10 seconds at 7.3 miles per hour and recovered for 20 seconds at 6 miles per hour and repeat. Then cool down for the last 5 minutes.

It was a little bit of heaven for this girl. My heart was pounding (actually, trying to climb out of my throat), sweat was pouring everywhere, my pony tail was sashaying, my Ipod played all the right songs, breathing was good and I felt so strong.

It felt good to be back.

Yes, that's me running/jumping over fire.

To reclaim my sense of power and blast through that fatigue wall or ache in the knee. To feel the rhythmic “thwump thwump thwump thwump” of my feet on the belt is like a drug to me. Sure, I gave the look of disdain to the people pumping iron – it happens after a while. You lose control of your facial expressions to maintain control of your legs.

As I read over this posting, I realize that I can’t quite convey everything I felt during that run. It’s a personal experience only another runner can understand. But I think anyone who takes a break from their passion and steps on their favorite ‘mill’ again will understand. That adrenaline rush, the sense of accomplishment, the high from knowing how strong and powerful you really are – it’s indescribable, but we all feel it from time to time. And I think it’s those things that keep us going.

It keeps us running *pun intended*