New Record!

Ok.  Yet another final run at our place in Panora.  I ran about 1.5 miles before my final sprint.  Much less than in the past—an abbreviated run.  How fast could I do this final run if it wasn’t preceded by not wearisome effort, but just a bit of warm-up?  Many times, my final sprint is just an extension of the whole run.  At one point, I simply run a bit faster than I was during the run.  THIS time, however, the situation would be kind of a race against my earlier self.  I walked about 30 seconds before the start at the bottom of the hill and then charged forward.  I had just seen Lolo Jones, leading in the gold medal race at the 2008 Olympics, hit a hurdle and stumble.  I would be Lolo Jones, going for gold.  I was thinking, “Maybe I’ll get 53 seconds.”
My feet and toes were lightly brushing the pavement as I flew forward.  I could feel the air flipping by my face and I arms breezing as they swished by my thighs.  I was able to maintain this power even into the meat of the incline.  After about 2/3 of the sprint, however, things started to slow down.  My arms and legs gained weight.  I needed cranes to lift each foot, I needed the bionic muscles of Lee Majors to make my arms fly forward.  By the end, I imagined someone viewing me and saying, “What has happened to that guy?  Why is he walking like a tortoise with an infected claw?”  I reached the end, pushed the button on my watch.
Relief.  Delicious pain surged through every vein.  My legs were screaming, even my arms complained relentlessly.  My time?  53.36!  A new record!
This was a short run because after I got started, I realized that it would be totally ridiculous to be late for the parent’s council at the summer camp where I was to pick up the boys.