Well I was dead wrong, and on the last play of the 4th game of the year, I come running down the football field on a kickoff looking to bust the wedge, and I almost immediately come running off the field with a busted, and severely dislocated shoulder. End of football career. About 2 weeks later of resting my shoulder, I join the wrestling team, already a month into pre-season captain's practices, and during my first week, we are running a route that is called Jacob's Ladder. Now where I'm from in Indiana, we have slight hills at best, and I had never run a mountain trail before. Jacob's Ladder is a grueling 6 mile route, with roughly the first 4 almost completely uphill before a steep downhill and then a long flat run back to campus. I thought I was in darn good shape then, but of course, I was playing football, and we all know that football shape is nothing compared to wrestling shape. This was flat out the hardest run I have ever done, and I remember the feeling of shame and disappointment I had at about the 3.5 mile mark when Coach Franke came jogging right past me and beat me by over 10 minutes. Horrible.
I think that was the last time the team ever ran Jacob's ladder, until this past weekend!
We have been enjoying some absolutely beautiful fall weather, and decided it would be a good change of pace and get outside and run. You'll be pleased to know that I decided to give it another go, crushing my 18-year old self's time, and finishing in a respectable 59 minutes. I like to think of this run
as both physical and mental training, because you are literally running uphill for about 35 straight minutes, and I look at it as an hour-long gut check. There is no slowing down or walking, as getting started again would be nearly impossible. You must keep moving, you must keep running, you must keep pushing yourself onward! You compromise, you lose! Just like on the mat.Maybe it's because I'm older, or maybe it's because I've been running a lot lately, or maybe it was just the view of Poplar Hill and House Mountain, but I am actually looking forward to running this again very soon, and am considering making it a routine. This to me, was a much more rewarding workout than hitting the weight room
, or lunch-time basketball or racquetball, as not only my body, but also my mind and spirit were pushed to the limit, and I got a rush out of that. I can only hope that the guys got the same out of it, and from most of their responses afterward, it seemed to be a rewarding a fulfilling experience.2 weeks from competition now, and we are dealing with some bumps and bruises, but we move forward and try to get better every day. Thanks for reading!
