The Decision to Try

I am tired; a little sore in places; fifteen mile run done on slick and muddy trails. Tonight - a little brain-dead, but even brain-dead, I am thankful for progress. A little over two months now that I went off the statin drug and went on a plant based eating plan.

Recovery hasn't come immediately but I continue to improve. It wasn't that long ago that I tried could not run a mile without lots of walking thrown. It had been too painful to enjoy. I missed the joy and the enjoy of training but it seemed I was done and the life I loved would become would be relegated to life rocking chair type existence.

But, the longer off the medication the more I started feeling better. It wasn't all at once but the pains diminished little by little. One day I ran three miles, then the next, four miles without walking. With this encouragement, I went on my fast-forward training plan to catch up on my ironman plan. The ten percent per week increase rule was thrown overboard. I had nothing to lose. What was the worst that could happen? I would be injured. I had done safe and prudent training, taking my medication per instructions, and had stayed injured for two months. How could I mess that up? But more than all that, I prayed, and I prayed. That brought me a lot of peace, but it brought me to the decision to try. Sometimes that is the only decision ones has to make; just try. Take the step. Amazing things can happen sometimes if we just trust and try before we give up. And so, today, trying and grateful for this opportunity, and this redeemed life

Today's 15 miler was not nearly as hard as my first 8 miler on my fast track training plan.
http://milesofthejourney.blogspot.com/2016/01/that-was-hard.html

Right now it is not certain if I will make it through Ironman training , but as I try, each hurdle seems to get cleared. This has been a big week of training. Right now a warm feeling - total body fatigue - is creeping in on me. That feels like peace; peace with myself and peace with God. And, it feels like love; the Love of God, taking me to, and bringing me through, now and evermore.

PS 5/26/16 - the accelerated training and the increasing training volume, ultimately caused the old bad knee to go bad again. I didn't quit until I could barely get out of bed without falling down. But, I am thankful for the decision and opportunity to try.