Shoot the Moon

Shoot the Moon

your heart is racing as you're running

running around the neighborhood

you're not running for any particular reason

you just think that it might do you a little good

the wind is gusting, just a bit

I hope you're done soon

your legs are getting tired, knees wobbly

if you quit now, how will you shoot the moon?

There's this Bryan Adams song on the Hope Floats soundtrack that means a lot to me and in the song there's this line about shooting the moon if you love someone.  However, that's not what inspired this piece.  There's a common game at carnivals where you have to get this bowling ball to go up hill by correctly pulling apart the two rods that it rests on.  I'm explaining it poorly but essentially, you have to pull sticks apart at the correct rate so that the ball builds momentum and is able to go uphill but you don't want to pull them apart too quickly because if that happens the ball will drop.  Anyways, I've heard people refer to that game as "shooting the moon".

So I ran outside for the first time today since Thursday (first day since I got the treadmill that I haven't been on it).  And there's one thing that running on a treadmill doesn't really prepare you for.  Some would argue that there's more than just one thing but today for my purposes, I'm going to pretend that there is only one thing.  Wind.  Wind sucks when you're tired and running.  I run around my block a few times and so I'm pretty much facing all the points of the compass.  The weird thing is that if it's windy, I'm usually running into the wind for 3 orientations of the 4.  Today, the wind wasn't that bad but it was so very close to breaking my spirit.  I need to revise my 6 mile route.  There are too many opportunities for me to quit and just walk home.  Another thing I'm trying to balance is my speed.  I know that the faster I run, the sooner it will be over and the slower I run, the more I prolong the pain.  I am bad at finding balance.  I always make the wrong decision when it comes to tempo and pacing.  And the wrong decision just leads to pain (if the will stays strong) or walking home feeling defeated.