March 18, 2023; Starting Line Temperature: 10 degrees Fahrenheit
Yes, that reads correctly. The starting line temperature in O’Neill, Nebraska was 10 degrees at 10:00 am! Easily the coldest start of ANY run I’ve taken part in going back to high school track practice. Factor in a north wind and during the 2.5 mile fun run we had a ‘real feel’ of about ZERO degrees.
One nice thing is, the sun was shining bright against a blue sky which contrasts the way it feels on a 35 degree overcast day in the Pacific Northwest. That damp feeling felt so much colder.
My partner in crime Dave (below in lime), and I had initially planned to run the race in kilts, as we returned to where we met in high school as football, wrestling and track teammates. But due to the cold, we had to modify our “undergarments” a bit to keep the “fun” part of the race intact.
For me, the run became a mental test more than anything. Battling a long-lingering calf issue (soleus tear and repeated reinjury) I started out focused on my stride and what my legs were doing and almost on cue at about the half-mile mark I felt that familiar tug in the calf. I told Dave to carry on, I had to walk this out.
Heading into the north wind, I was being passed by numerous racers as my calf became tighter and tighter and I, more and more frustrated. “This has been a battle for nearly five years”!
As we approached the 1 mile line, I dug into my mentality, remembering the motivations of David Goggins I had read and listened to in his book “Can’t Hurt Me” and told my body “screw it, let go or tear again”. I started up my jog and forced more and more of a stretch in the calf until I found a foot strike that worked.
This is no triumphant story of worst to first, that horse had already left the barn. This was a mental battle between my brain and my body. I focused hard on my foot strike and willed by calf to “try me”. I finished the run 4th in my age group, stiff calf and all. But, I believe it is a turning point…I WILL run without fear of tearing that calf again, I just need to continue to strengthen it.
Speaking of that horse having left the barn, here is a picture of the famous Green Horse of O’Neill seen every St. Patrick’s Day parade ridden by another former classmate and teammate of mine Leo. If you ever have the chance to visit O’Neill for St. Patrick’s Day, ask around to join the “painting party” tradition the night before. Before anyone gets their nightie in a knot, it’s not “paint”, the green is food coloring and the application is like a spa day of brushing and massaging for the horse. And the color washes away.
