My quads were burning and my breathing was steady but labored as I ascended yet another hill on the rural gravel road I was running on. A little over halfway to my destination, I couldn’t help but think about how the hills didn’t look too bad when I drove this same route a day earlier. A mile isn’t usually a big deal for anyone in even remotely decent shape, but I wasn’t doing an average run through the park either. For the first time since I was in the military, I was competing against myself with a stress shoot.