On the horse

You've heard the saying "getting back on the horse". I feel as if every time I go for a run I'm trying to get back on the dang horse except mine is a wild mustang and you can call me buckaroo.

The name shin splints covers just about every kind of pain associated with muscles in the lower legs. I wonder what is really going on under there?

From step one to step "the end", with every strike of my foot on the ground, I feel shooting pain. I think to myself that it will improve next time. Surely with my weight dropping, my diet improving, and my stretching habits being honed, the pain will lessen and I will magically be numb to the feeling of shards of glass shifting around in my muscles. Strike, grit teeth, breathe in, strike, grit teeth, breathe out, strike...

The rest of my body, from my knees up and ankles down, feels as if it could run a marathon. I end my runs and my lungs, feet, quads, hams and arms are all begging for more. In my mind I visualize myself passing signs that say 10, then 16, then 20, then 26.2 burns in my mind and I feel cemented to my desire to reach that point and beyond.

Running causes aches and pains. Aches and pains cause discomfort. Discomfort makes me want to try harder. Perhaps pain free isn't all its cracked up to be. I like horses with a bit of a wild spirit anyway.