Running Accommodations

I'm at the point in the training schedule where I need to make accommodations beyond just putting my hair in a ponytail and heading out. Not the least of those accommodations is getting up early enough to both stretch (yuck, so boring) and get in the miles before interfering with our normal routine. It's not that my running isn't important enough to shift the routine because we do that all the time. But, there's a middle ground to get to, and I need to do my part in that effort. Unfortunately for me, that means getting my sorry self up long before I want! (I know: Boo hoo!) I realized this morning, though, that getting up early, in and of itself, is good training for the official run day as that morning will be crazy early. Like, the 5 a.m. kind of early. I'm choosing to not think about that specific detail right now ...

The other accommodation is that of making sure I have a few grapes in my pocket to refuel during the run. Just a few grapes about half way through the run then a couple every couple of miles after does the trick to not feel completely depleted at the end. There are products out there for this (goos and gels and other unappealing things ... "I am feeling sluggish ... how 'bout some goo ...") Other people use things like gummi bears (I can only see myself getting one stuck in my teeth only to dislodge it and choke). Super score on learning the grape trick two years ago!! It totally works for me.

So, with grapes in pocket, out I set this morning for the first 8-mile run I've done since ... since? ... sheesh, I'm not even sure! -- probably since August. I'd check on that detail, but I really don't care. I just knew I needed to accomplish it, and my goal was to enjoy doing so. I even had unintentional theme music in my head: The theme to the tv show Eight Is Enough. I didn't even try and think of an "Eight" song (or I probably would have looked up a song from the Styx album Pieces Of Eight and called it good). I love that theme song, but I will say two miles of singing a song to myself where I'm not even sure of all of the words can get tedious! I finally switched in my head to the Big Time Rush song Love Me Love Me (love me that song!!) and my feet got to groovin'.

Things cruised along well today: found a shiny penny at mile two; thought I found a nickel at mile 3 but it wasn't; found a nickel for real at mile 6; walked a quarter mile up hill at mile 7 when my calf muscles were trying to decide if they were just fine or if they were going to suddenly seize AND I didn't care that I walked it, and I ran up my most-hated-are-you-kidding-me-that-my-route-ends-up-hill hill. That's a good day.

I am now questioning the logic of choosing a Half Marathon that requires training during the predictably busiest time of the year for me (because that busy makes me tired on a weekend morning!), but it seemed like a good idea at the time, so let's see how it feels on the day!

Here are today's shots (I do so love my camera, which has nothing to do with running, but I don't care):

So happy to have finished ... what was left
of my grapes (which tasted like dryer sheet,
by the way, having been in the pocket of my
freshly washed pants) and my finds.

The grape in the foreground looked like a heart which I thought
was mighty appropriate for what I'd just done. The picture was
really supposed to just be of that, but as Aaron was taking it, I
noticed the other one behind it looked like a butt. I found the
grape anatomy funny because I'm like that. (You can see more
of what I saw in the first picture. Even if you can't, it made me
laugh. Again, I'm like that.)

You see how I might have been fooled by what turned out to be
a battery in my left hand. There's the cold, hard cash in my right.
I actually looked at the real nickel, passed it up thinking, "No
way, don't bother checking on another piece of trash." Then, I
couldn't help myself and went back the three steps to check.
Score!!

I've since showered and have a Diet Coke in hand, so I'm ready for the rest of the day!! See you after the morning run ... the question will be, "How much will that run hurt after this one?" We'll just have to see. It should be fine. Either way, I'll have my running pooch with me!