Grind: To crush and smoosh things out of being hard

Grinding.  I do it to coffee beans.  That makes me happy.  Mostly though, I like to grind outside.

For me, the grind is the happy place.  It's the spot you get to when things reach level:suckalot and you have to push through.  Grind is what you do when you want to stop.  When the urge to call for a ride hits hard, you have to grind.  And when you grind back to your house, your car, a coffee place, or the end of the task set, that's when you feel the good stuff.  Relief.  Pride.  Hunger.  All wicked feelings.

Because I am a moron, I am training to through run 300k of the East Coast Trail in September.  Don't ask why.  I have no good answer.  Not that involves words anyway.  So last Saturday I ran with my bro Ben after he rode his bike for 100k in basically sleet and slob ice.  FYI that's the only way I run with young males.  They must do a minimum of four hours of disgusting training before.  I will also attempt if they are hung over, but that's not always proven effective.  40 something women should train with dogs and other 40 something women...unless they like the suffering aspect of the grind.  Which I do.  Anyway, Ben.  So luckily on that run, he was hurting.  Me, like a dumbass, told him that these runs were the good ones.  They were the ones that count.  The difference makers.  I assumed he wasn't listening based on his chin drool.  Wrong.  Fast forward to last Saturday.  Met Ben after 110kms on the trainer with sprints (checked in order to ensure he was gonna be slower than me) hoping to do 15k with my weekly milage of 90k looming ahead.  I suffered gloriously.  I whined.  I drank out of a green fuzzy culvert (best water ever).  I freight train breathed and stopped to poop twice.  I cursed skinny people who passed me.  And what did he say to me??  Sue, these runs are the runs that count.  These are the difference makers.  This is such a good run for you.  I was too covered in chin drool to be amazed that he heard me the week before.  So I ground on beside this amazing athlete who was quoting my own brand of kool aid.  Thanks bro.  I still hurt but you got me there.

The grind is what gets you better, even when you feel like you were farted out of a dying whale carcass.  The grind is what puts money in the toughness bank account so you can make withdrawals on race day.  The grind is what lets you know on shitty days that you can push through anything.  I love the grind.  It helps me fight my demons and reach goals that make other endurance athletes look at you with a tilted head and blank expression.  Every day requires some grinding people. 

Thanks for reading.  Get outside and grind...it always makes you better if ya got a little grind in your day!