I thought that I might try my hand at some poetry, so forgive me if I make a mockery of it. ~ Chris
~~~
LONG RUN MOTIVATION
Breakfast was had, time to head out / I have 20-miles planned, got to hit the route
Saturday long run is about to begin
I bring my phone, not a typical action / And choose some music for the distraction
I thumb through the artists held within
“Begin the day with a friendly voice” / I kiss the wife goodbye, with Rush as the choice
Out the door with my favorite band
I cue up the watch for running and walking / GPS finds me and off I go jogging
Spray on some sunscreen, getting very tanned
Over the tracks I’ve been told not to cross / It’s Barney Fife’s personal albatross

One mile in and the sweat has begun
The weather has been dry / But the wildflowers are high
The nature preserve never fails to stun

Over the bridge, the creek filled again / Yesterday provided the much-needed rain
Two miles from home is the watch alert
Out of the hills and onto the trail / Once upon a time there were trains on the rails
Mile three, starting to sweat through my shirt
Up ahead, I see a lady running with her dog / It’s my friend Julie with Blue – out for a jog
That’s something new for Julie to do
Miles four through ten were somewhat of a blur / Runners and bikers enjoying the day I figure
Maybe for their races, they’re training too
I hit Cherry Hill road, just as predicted / Time to turn around, but I’m not conflicted
Not going away from home any longer
At twelve and a half, the vest needed filling / I replaced the warm with water that was chilling
Eat a gel and candy bar, got me feeling stronger
Off the trail and into the preserve, three miles to go / The pep in my step had turned slow
Finishing the run with hills will eventually pay off
Hit the stop button at twenty, go jump in the pool / The run is done, it’s time to cool
Recovery time has begun, a Gatorade I quaff
But Sunday comes, I awaken to realize / Another long run is the plan’s surprise
Motivation is lacking, I still put on running gear
Another breakfast, I skip the music and running vest / Just a water bottle and off on another quest
Running on some sore legs is what I fear
But to my surprise, I feel really fresh / Maybe back-to-back long runs make my legs mesh
I’m quite surprised and skip the walk breaks
A different route, to east this time I go / Running through the hills, but I don’t feel slow
Muggy but not hot, I feel few aches
Once again, I turn onto Old Plank Trail / Seeing Angela, Susan, and John running help me sail
This run is going better than I was expecting
I hit the neighborhood, a little shy of 90 minutes / I add a little extra, I have no limits
Feeling good after two days of running, I’m not objecting
The hardest part of running long distance / Might be trying to find the persistance
Got to fight the desire to quit or not even begin
An emotional finish to a couple days of long running / To the starting line I will keep gunning
I’ve learned that what it takes I might have within
