“Do I Look Like a Runner?”

I wish I hadn’t gone from 11:00am to 3:00 pm to eat yesterday. That was a bad move on my part. And probably part of what was making me not feel good. I left work a bit early to go home and rest. Thank goodness for car snacks:

Kashi 7 Grain sample pack: 120 calories. Not quite as good as regular Wheat Thins, in my opinion, rather plain tasting. I stopped at the store for essentials.

Roasted Red Pepper and Crab Bisque, 170 calories a serving, plus salad fixings.

I’ve been drinking Emergen-C too.

I made a salad because I was craving veggies! Especially sweet grape tomatoes.

I devoured my lunch, gulping down my Emergen-C. Hopefully I won’t need to use this too much:

What did I do with my afternoon home sick? I watched this movie:

I was so excited when it finally arrived from Netflix yesterday. Why haven’t I watched this movie sooner?? Not only am I runner, I live in Oregon! Seems like a no-brainer.

Who was Steve Prefontaine? He was running superstar from Oregon. He grew up in Coos Bay, Oregon, ran a 4:31 indoor mile in high-school and went to the University of Oregon where he beat record after record. He trained under coach Bill Bowerman (who in 1964 founded Blue Ribbon Sports, later known as Nike). He held every American record between 2,000 meters and 10,000 meters (a feat that has never been equaled).  He was in the 1972 Summer Olympic Games in Munich. May 30, 1975 he died in a drunk driving accident when he was 24.

It was a really inspiring story. Pre was an amazing runner and the movie just really stressed how much of the sport was MENTAL for him. He even had one leg shorter than the other! He would ask his girlfriend before each race, “Do I look like a Runner?” It made me think: do I look like a runner? Maybe not. I don’t have the long, lean legs like Prefontaine. I don’t have the speed of Prefontaine. But what I do have is the mental drive and determination to achieve whatever goal I set my mind to.

If you haven’t seen this movie, you MUST.

“To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift.” -Steve Prefontaine

QUESTION: Have you seen this movie? And do you believe that running is a mental sport?