Slaying the Dragons

I have an active imagination.  My youth was marked by pictures of G.I. Joes, Super Heroes, Robin Hood, Knights, Castles, and Dragons.  I used to (still do) draw pictures of dragons.  The mythical beasts always seemed to just engross my mind.  I recently read a series of fantasy books that helped those thoughts along.  The Eragon Series were a boy becomes a dragon rider.  Books like those are food for the kid in me.
During the long hours of training you have a lot to think about.  I can only think about my pace, time, nutrition, , so much before I begin to think about something else.  I think also when I am experiencing intense amount of pain I look for some kind of out.  Something to take my mind off the pain.
My next two races are hilly.  A few weeks ago I took sometime to go out and drive the course for my next race.  As I drove it I realized that the elevation charts did it no justice at all.  A sick feeling started to form in my stomach as I drove in my car up some of these hills.  Renee turned to me and said "This is fun...right?"  Here is the elevation chart for the the Sebagoman ride: MapMyRide - Sebagoman in Stony Point, NY 
I went home from that little day trip saying...I need to work my hills.  Now working hills where I live is not difficult.  I live in the Northern Poconos and I really can't get on my bike without expecting at least one big hill.  It is worth mentioning that the run course is mostly downhill on the way out and uphill on the way back.
Hill training is tricky.  I am still new at this so I am not really sure the 'right' way of doing it.  In my mind I just push as hard as I can till I get to the top of the hill, then do it again for the next one.

Enter the dragons.

As I was charging up what we call Jadwin hill I began to see these hills as dragons.  When I stand at the bottom of a hill I stare at something that wants to defeat me.  I am not one for giving up or being defeated.  These giants want to conquer me, but I will not be conquered.  My imagination gripped me as I began training these hills.  Call me a nerd-but no longer was I a 225 guy running up a hill.  I became a fearless warrior facing down a dragon that only sought to devour me.  Things like this only enable my unwillingness to give in to pain.  Step by step was another step toward victory and getting to the top of the hill meant I won.

We cannot be defeated by our dragons.  Whether in life or in a race.  We need to face them, fight them, and slay them.  If we allow ourselves to be conquered we only set ourselves up for another defeat.
So slay your dragons fearless warriors