Who Made Me Wear Leaded Pants?

After the high I was on from last week's 12-miler, you'd think I would have been up-and-at-'em for today's 10. Not. So. Much. I was exhausted, the week was fullfullfull of things to accomplish or  attend to, and sleeping -- not running -- was the only thing on my mind this morning. I don't remember the last time I was that resistant to getting up (no, really ... today was even worse than a normal day, and that's saying something!).

Like it or not, I got myself ready to head out. It stormed most of the night, and the morning prediction was iffy (which did not excite me ... no one is safe around me when I have to put 10 miles on the treadmill. Frankly, I don't even want to be around me after that!), but I was determined to take a chance and put these miles in outside. I not only took a chance, but I also took my phone just in case I got caught in a storm somewhere.

I loved the view as soon as I stepped outside. Check out our driveway ...

... and our yard!

I do so love Fall!! I'm thrilled we ended up with a lot of good color (Take that, drought!)!! It just makes me happy!

And, the happy continued just around the corner ...

... but, with so many fabulous trees around, I realized this run was going to take forever if I pictured every pretty one! So, I put the camera back in my pocket and tried to focus on what I was doing instead of letting my mind wander to (a) take-a-picture-of-that mode, (b) fix-this-problem-on-my-mind mode, or (c) why-on-earth-am-I-not-still-in-bed whining. That's a tough trifecta to overcome, and I was too tired to want to battle it!!

Right at the end of Mile 1, I found three pennies which was a good effort at trying to get my mind back where it belongs. You see, the best thing about running is that I'm just out there. Nothing more, nothing less. I've stopped burdening myself with being self concious or otherwise defeating myself. I no longer concern myself with what anyone who sees me thinks. Ever. And, I've even gotten quite good about letting go of the daily grind because, the fact is, it's going to be waiting for me when I'm finished, so I may as well release it while I'm out and about and I can't do much else anyway.

The power of the pennies didn't last too long today, tough. Clearly, I had a lot in my head, and I'd not yet put things where they belong. That was also mixed with a healthy batch of keeping my ears open to figure out if I was hearing a distant car motor or a rumble of thunder. That'll stress a girl out! I so did not want to call Aaron to come get me out of a thunder storm! (Can you picture the scene? I not only have to be gotten but I also have to finish on the treadmill? That's one ugly scene ...) Then, check this out -- Right before Mile 3, the sky got notably lighter. I looked over my shoulder to see the clouds clearing. Then, it started raining on me. What?! It was really just a drizzle, and it was obvious it was going to be short lived. But, still! Hello, sunshine, thanks for the rain! The drizzle stopped just in time to pull out the camera for this, though, so at least it was considerate:

Onward I went. It's not that I was in a bad mood, but it was a heavy mood. You know the ones. And, they suck. Then, it was around Mile 4 when I wondered why I decided to put on my filled-with-lead pants to run in. No, not for real, but that's exactly what my legs felt like. From my waist to my feet: heavy. That's not ever a good feeling, and it most definitely does nothing to inspire you when you have more than half a run to go! At least it was around this point that I saw some awesome things:

These things are just cool. And, tall!

Who wouldn't want to hang out on that bench? Ahhh ...

I was about half-way through of my leaded pants run when I resigned myself to how this run was going. I was still kicking along, but I just felt tired. Sometimes, just admitting that helps the remainder of the journey. At least I better understand the problem and quit pretending like I should be able to just push through it. Taking another picture helps, too, so I went ahead and did so:

Okay, I took two of the same spot:

Did I take two because (a) it was awesome, or (b) because I didn't yet feel like getting up after taking the first one? You make the call. I will tell you, getting up was an Oucher. Just sayin'.

Given my many mental distractions today, I came to understand why Olympians basically seclude themselves in their training camps; it's an environment designed to protect them from losing focus. I'm pretty certain not one of the things on my mind this week even penetrates the walls of the Lake Placid training center. I'm also quite sure their lives are very focused with very few distractions. Mine, not so much. But, check out two of my very favorite distractions:

They met me with another water bottle and hugs.
Can't. Beat. That.

And, then there's my other favorite distraction:

Aaron said, "How did it go?" I said, "Felt
terrible, sir." And, here was his nonverbal
response. Fabulous!

And, of course, in addition to all of the benefits to running for my health blah blah blah, I still find prizes:

No, I'll never be an elite athlete. Frankly, I can't remember a time I ever wanted to be. But, I can remember always wanting to give whatever I was doing my all and being proud of the outcome for what I put into it. I even recently told PC#2 that when her team loses a game, she won't be terribly down about it if she gives everything she has to give while on the court. In that light, this run was a success because it got all I had. And, now, it's on to the next one.

That next one's tomorrow with the pooch, so we'll see you after!