Since I only post about once every 2 weeks, do you mind if I make a long post?
I really am amazed by you, Cowboy. How far you have come and how locked in you are to fitness and running. It's absolutely awesome to see. It is hard enough for teenagers to stick with sports let alone someone well into their 40's.
I remember several times when I was swimming as a teenager I wanted to quit. Even the girls were extremely hard to keep up with at practice. The competition even amongst my own team mates was pretty intense. Some were content being 2nd best but most of us wanted to be the fastest at our respective events. So most of the time we swam our butts off. Still, there were times I was tempted to quit.
I actually did quit once. My parents sent me to the best swim camp in the nation at Texas University, coached by Eddie Reese, the US Olympic Swim Coach. Him and another coach tried to convince me to stay but I was done. Even prior to going I had started to experience my first major depressive episode in my life. I was still depressed when I got there and being put through tough workouts only made me feel more defeated. I only made it through half the week and asked to go home. It was a morally crushing defeat.
Since I got home early from camp, I was able to swim in my summer team's meet the next day if I wanted to. I decided to go and after winning my individual events (100IM, 100Free, 50Fly) it was time to anchor the last relay of the meet, the 4x50Free. We were losing by nearly half a lap when I dove in. As I neared the wall preparing for my flip turn I noticed I had gained a lot of water on him. Get it, water? Instead of ground?
Anyway, one of the biggest things I had just learned at the Texas camp was how to do a really good flip turn and how to streamline properly. As I emerged from the flip turn I was at his feet and by mid pool length I had caught him. I went on to beat him by more than a body length.
Even though my competitor that day was obviously not at the same level as I was at that time, that experience made me forget all about quitting camp. Instead, I shrugged it off and held on to what I did learn while I was there, which clearly improved my speed, technique and turns. I went on to win my high school conference championship in the 50 Free three years in a row.
Seeing all that you are doing with running reminds me of my swimming years. Enjoy this time. You just don't know how long it will last. Make the most of it and be proud of your effort. You never know, you just might end up being a champion someday.
Derrick
P.S. The rain has been crazy here in Missouri too. I spent the last three weeks at the farms getting our crops and food plots planted. We half joked that our precious top soil would be fine as long as we didn't get any torrential down pours. Mother Nature responded less than 12 hours later with torrential down pours, repeated nightly for 4 nights in a row.
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