Competitive like a horse

Weird right? I know what you're thinking, "Horses aren't competitive". But I think they are. You know how when they are racing with another horse, and they get equal to them, look them in the eye and push harder to win, to get ahead of the other horse. Let me tell you I've been on a horse that wanted to be first, and you can NOT stop them. They are going for the gold.

          (Seabuscuit VS War Admiral)
Here is some info on Seabuscuit. He was a horse that was smaller then the rest, and he was also not a favorite. He was not expected to win, but he did. He went on and won many races. When it came to War Admiral, he was the fastest horse around. Again, Seabuscuit was thought to loose. However, Seabuscuit had it in his heart to win. He had a huge heart and even though War Admiral was the usual winner, Seabuscuit won. It just goes to show that it's not all about the act of doing something, but it's the heart that counts.

Last night I reminded myself of that. How the horse pushes it into another gear when they are equal with another horse or even behind another horse. The running group I am in met at a local high school track. We were doing conversational laps where you were supposed to talk as we walked, and then push laps, where you were supposed to push as hard as you can go with out falling over. On my first lap I did 3:25, on my second lap Alyshia trotted up next to me and we met pace. It wasn't so hard for the first few mins, but as I came around the last bend my lungs started to bulk. I was scraping for all the oxygen I could get. An amazing thing happened, the pain in my legs was gone for those last minuets. I don't know if it was lack of oxygen or that I was trying so hard that I couldn't pay attention to anything else around me then what I was doing, but I beat Alyshia. I know she can run faster, but she ran at a pace she thought was my level, and I pushed passed it. I nearly cried when I finished. I didn't think I could do it. I didn't think I could make it past that last bend, let alone kick it into 4th gear and finish before her. I shaved off 10 seconds off my first timed lap and did 3:15. It took everything I had.

Although my calves were in knots nearly the entire time, I was able to push past the pain and run. When I got home I gave them a much needed pressure massage and they feel ok today. I will need to work on them some more. I can tell that cramps in my calves will be the first hurdle I have to cross. The second hurdle will be my lungs. I've always had trouble with exercised induced asthma.

Here's to you Seabuscuit.   (Seabuscuit VS War Admiral)