Go out hard. Come back hard.

Natalie Coughlin explained her personal racing strategy to me this way, one afternoon a few weeks after returning home from the Worlds: 'Go out hard. Come back hard.'
-"A Feel for the Water," The New Yorker, July 5, 2004

I was trolling the Internets and came across a great story about swimmer Natalie Coughlin in the New Yorker -- from all the way back to 2004, before the Athens Olympics.

It made me want to run more -- two a day practices like the Olympic athletes -- and definitely harder, as I think this way in the 5K and anytime there are hills to be run and competitors to be dropped.

Here in Atlanta I've been fortunate that this summer has been less hot than usual (I don't think we've had a single 100-degree day). At the same time, it feels just as humid at times and coming back completely soaked is the norm.

Coming on 600 days in a row, my enthusiasm hasn't waned. It's now time to drop the hammer for the fall season.