When Hauschka asked me to sub-Q for him at Sea Legs, I jumped at the chance. Or rather tried to. After Q-ing up an APFT at Quagmire the day before and pushing my legs as hard as they could go to put in a solid effort, not to mention a short run on Sunday, and an 8mile ruck Saturday morning followed by the NoDa 5K in the afternoon – my legs were spent. But there is no better way to get stronger than to get after it again.
I pulled up to the parking lot and a handful of PAX got out and committed themselves to getting stronger here at Sea Legs. One thing I can say is the PAX I have met while in F3 are some truly great people in every way. You look forward to seeing them and the 2nd F opportunity. Today was no different. I knew we’d have a great run regardless of how we performed.
The Thang was simple – we ran. fin. (to borrow the phrase from DaVinci)
It was a simple out and back down 49, right onto Bonum Rd at Copper Pub. All the way to the end of Bonum where it turns into Duck Haven and dead ends on a point at the lake. Beautiful scenery down there. Then flip it and return home. Oh, and there were hills. The final 1/2 mile or so descent to the lake was nice until you had to make it an ascent, and my legs were not cooperating today. Thank you Cerrano for pushing me on. We spread out a little on the ‘out’ half, but kept together as a tight group on the return. There was alot of great conversations along the way. When you get to the level in your running where you can hold a conversation at a sub 8:30-9 pace, it is a great thing. We got back to the COT a little early, and added another loop around the parking lot for good measure.
Announcements:
* READ THE NEWSLETTER AND GET INVOLVED
* CAH workout this Saturday 4pm
* Hog and Coyote on 6/17 followed by the CAH river float on the Catawba
* Gutters and Gringos this Saturday
Prayers and Praises:
* Prayers for the PAX and the struggles they are going through – Royale and his family, Axl and his family, Flea and his ankle, Cornerstone’s daughter and his family, Qwerty, Mr T, and many more
* Praises for those committed to making themselves better in any way
Moleskin
If you have never been to Sea Legs, it is a relatively new running AO held in the same place where the bootcamp AO “Poop Deck” is at. There are tons of huge parking lots around for speed work – I’m going to GPS one to find a 200M loop for such fun – and alot of roads for your basic runs. There are flat areas and hilly areas for runs. Plenty of pain or pleasure to pick. Plus, it has the added advantage of being right on Lake Wylie. One of the most spiritually invigorating things you can do is put a solid run in the early AM and catch a sunrise. Seeing God’s creative beauty on display is the best way to start your day. Seeing a sunrise over the water amplifies that x100 (I wonder if Witch Hunt had that in mind when he picked this venue for this new running AO). A few times I have been running in the area when the sun said hello coming over the water. Those are some of the most spiritually invigorating, soul fulfilling moments I have had. Your pace picks up no matter how tired you are when you witness the awe of His creation on display like that. You have a renewed sense (and appreciation) of just how great the Sky Q is, what He can do.
As I mentioned on my BB for Quagmire on 6/5 – running is a life skill. It forges not only physical endurance and cardio strength, but also mental strength, discipline, perseverance, and focus. Pushing yourself through the mental wall created by the hurt to go that extra mile, shave off a little time from your average pace. The idea behind Sea Legs is for anyone wants to be a runner or a better runner, regardless of skill level – this is the place for you. The PAX here are committed to helping anyone interested to reap the benefits of what running can do for them (same for Tempo, Clydesdales, Laces In, and so on). Yes it will hurt at times, but as long as it is not an injury, push it and keep getting after it. If you are not physically hurting somewhere at the end of the day after a good run (or workout), then plain and simple – you are not putting enough effort in, or you are insanely fit. Eventually pain heals. The mind and body get stronger from it. The PAX will be there for you to encourage, support, and push/pull you along, just as in any F3 AO. If you commit yourself to the process you WILL get those Sea Legs stronger, and help someone else do the same, and in the process make yourself stronger in many other ways.
Four PAX did just that today.
God Bless and thank you for the opportunity to lead,
– NASA