Stretching My Stride

Today marked Day 1 to incorporate some speed work into my 100 mile training plan. At first, my legs and hips were a little stiff with the increased stretch in stride. After a few rounds of quick sprints, the legs were feeling good. In fact, better than before! No tightness in the IT band or hamstrings, no achy knees or hips, no lack of energy. "WOW!", I thought as I ran interval after interval, "all those base miles have done wonders for my legs! Now I'm ready to put a little pep-in-my-step and stretch out my stride".

I can't really leave this blog post simply about my sprint intervals, that's boring for most people anyway. Plus, as you begin to know me a little better you may realize I'm analytical, a deep thinker, and like to make comparisons between my running and life. So here it is... the big analogy between life and stretching my stride!....

Laying down those base miles is like everyday life. We plug away, day after day, trying to inch ahead with goals for ourselves, career, or family. We might not get as far as fast, but we are laying some great ground work. It's easy to stay on this treadmill, shoot... most days it's all I can do to survive this pace! But we need to stretch, stretch our stride, stretch out in our lives. That stretching can bring about new opportunities, move us beyond the limits we place on ourselves, and keep us from living a life of mediocrity.

You don't have to be a runner or an athlete to experience what I'm writing about. You need to be healthy and strong, so when the time is right for you to stretch your stride, you don't miss it... you are more than ready!

How am I stretching my stride? Not just by running a 100 mile endurance run, but by striving to make a difference in the lives of others through running.

Please read www.100milestoafrica.com and donate!

Peace!
Rachel