Summer’s Over But Our Brains Are Still in Runner Mode (Where the should be)

Summer is over, all us good little runners get back to class before the tardy bell rings. Be settled behind your desks and sitting in your seat before your teacher needs to slap you over the head with a ruler…oops, I guess that hasn’t been not protocol for a couple decades.

First period, let’s be honest, we’re all still trying to wake up. Unless we were up early, off and running before school. In which case we’ve had a heavy hit of endorphins and firing on all cylinders.

We head off to math, but let’s be realistic the only really applicable equations and numbers we need to be acquainted with are: knowing all multiples of four, being the only Americans quasi-comfortable dealing with the metric system, and figuring pace splits. Okay, the exceptions could probably be all those aspiring astronauts, physicists…and I’d like my doctor to have a rather fair grasp on accelerated mathematics.

Spelling, grammar and writing. Unless you’re going to be any kind of writer, I mean and WHO does that anymore (hehe)…seriously can’t everything of importance be whittled down to fit into a Tweet?

It’s not lunch yet but all us runners have been feeling the hungry monster that is our stomachs growling since about 30 seconds after breakfast. Hey, gotta feed the beast.

Now science, here is where we can really get down to business and do some real learning. Us runners are ahead of the game, we can point out the IT Band, the achilles, and every other major muscle group including the psoas. We can even prattle off the best ways to deal with aches and pains in any of the aforementioned…because of course we know in order to run we’ve got to keep that running machine oiled up and squeak free.

Maybe it’s lunch now…FINALLY. Who’s packed their gluten free lunch in their cute little Prefontaine lunch box? C’mon, don’t be shy, fess up. 😉

From here on out the rest of the day is shot. We’re just focused on when the real action is about to start…practice. We make sure to keep sipping from our water-bottles to stay hydrated, ingrain the workout and splits into our brains enough times to make SURE we’ve memorized it, and maybe even checked out completely on anything school related and do some pre-running visualization.

By the time we hit the locker room and do the quick change transformation into the total runner attire, short shorts and all, we’re amped and ready to go. Grab those shoes, lace ’em up and repeat three times: “There’s no place like the run. There’s no place like the run. There’s no place like the run.”

1) What point are you at; are you in school and has classes yet begun? If you’re a working ‘adult’ does your schedule change at all with the end of summer?

2) At what point in the day do you usually get your run on?

3) What’s something that you learned in school that you applied to your running in some way. On the flip side, what’s something running has taught you that then made you better at either school or work?