Perfect Ten!

Usually when you see a runner make a picture like so ...

... it's an indication of how far s/he just ran. I've made such a picture before ... see?

August 2010 after having run my first 13-mile distance! Whee!

Today's display was something more, though. So, no, it didn't indicate 10 miles. And, nooooo, it wasn't a "perfect 10" kind of run following this slump I've been whining about. It actually symbolizes this:

No, not the dog ...

It's the penny taking the Food Bank total to TEN DOLLARS of change found running!! YAHOO!!

Before setting sail this morning, I only needed two more cents to get to $10, and this morning's route did not disappoint!! I have to hand it to my coinoscopic vision, though, because this last one was not obvious.

It's there in the bike lane. I don't know what gunk that is on
the white line, so don't focus there.

Yeah, it's pretty easy to see there, but I first saw it from over here ...

That's a good 10 feet of grass in between the sidewalk and the
road. And, I was in motion. And, I had to keep looking to my
right instead of straight ahead while running because that's
where the money usually lives. I might be good at that,
but it took some practice to do it with ease. And not fall over.

HOW COMPLETELY FANTASTIC IS FINDING THAT LAST PENNY?! I think it's awesome. Just in change, I've found $10 with four more months left to prowl. AND, we can't forget the $20 bill I found back in the Spring. Together, that's $30 or between 360 - 450 pounds of food for those who need it!!! THAT'S HUGE!!

Seriously -- totally stoked!!

Oh, and the run itself went really well. I felt almost back to normal meaning I wasn't distracted by aching muscles or having to employ 800 mental strategies to keep myself going. By and large, I could just ... go ...

Except for when Elly resisted because she was a scaredy pants along that same stretch that, well, scares her. She was in a Monday mood, that's for sure, so she really gave the resistance a good, solid showing. Seriously ... she really did want to go! Check her out beforehand!

"Here I am, mommy!! Here! I! Am!!"

"I'm sensing something over ... there ... Something obnoxious."

As Lizzy says, "Who? Me?" Elly continued:
"I'll just wait here for you, mommy. Although, you keep taking
pictures. And, pictures before a run are hardly ever good for
my desires. *sigh*"

"What." States Lizzy.
"Double sigh." Expels the dog. Little did she know ...

Today was a good one all the way around. Well, maybe not for Elly, but her run was good for most of the time!! I'm going to revel in this run being more of what I am used to while I rest tomorrow. I'll see you then!

Prove It

Okay, so last night's sleep-all-night plan was a total bust. I was sleeping great 'til 3:30 a.m. when I had some business to attend to, then I lightly drifted in and out of sleep for the next 70 minutes. I hate that. I made a very definitive decision during that bewitching hour, though, and I decided to bag my long run this morning. Ohhhhh, I was very serious. Then, my rational brain found its way through the fog and reminded me that the 3 a.m. hour is never the time to make a good decision. Or a bad one. How 'bout no-3 a.m.-decisions? Anyway, I decided to let it go, and re-evaluate in a few hours.

I finally went back to sleep, and I fell hard. You know what that means -- time to dream! Those are the ones I always remember. This one was running-related again. In this episode, I was evidently participating in a triathalon. Participants had to wait in line for each event, though, and we could see everyone else who went before us on a closed circuit television. I watched as a woman did the long jump. (Hello ... dream. We're not reading to learn here.) While watching, I was getting ready for my upcoming swimming leg. Then, as I stood there in line, this dude looked at my feet (which were bare and ready to swim) and asked how I thought I was ready to run with no shoes on. Crap! On went the running clothes over the swimsuit.

Okay, then there was the moment I was running down the sidewalk when I looked over to see a dude bending over and seemingly pick something up. I immediately assumed he was picking up pennies, and I was bummed to not be on that side of the street. Then it appeared that he was actually pulling weeds from the curb. Oh, and he was barefoot. And, in his plaid boxers. And, nothing else. That was it. Oh, but wait ... that was all real. Yup -- My dream ended with me being in line to run or swim with or without shoes or something. This morning in the real world, barely clothed dude wandered the street doing something at ground level. I'm not even convinced he lived at the home where he was doing whatever he was doing. I tried looking at him out of the corner of my eye, but when he turned and looked my way, I shook my head and hand like I was waving a bug away so of course I might be looking his way. No other reason to look, right? In truth, I also wanted to make sure he kept going about his business and didn't try to get in mine. Pardon my skepticism of the boxer-only dude, but you gotta be alert. And smart. Therefore, no pictures. See? Smart.

I didn't take a picture of the nearby, nasty, no-more-details-about-it opossum, either. But, it was gross.

Clearly, my wake-up decision to run trumped my 3 a.m.-hour decision to not. I wasn't especially looking forward to the run given how I've felt lately, but, for the first time in a very, very long time, I had a need to remind myself that I could do this. I know, sounds weird, right? I wasn't wallowing in self-doubt, but I was working very hard to resist giving up on myself at least for today which is what the thought of not going out there felt like I'd be doing. I'm totally sincere every time I say a slump will pass. But, you've also never heard me say to give up during one. I ultimately decided I'd rather have an "eh" run than none at all.

I also thought that I like fitting into my pants, so getting out there would certainly contribute to that cause. While I don't usually go there, I was pulling out all stops today to get myself out there!

The run itself? Quite good! Very solid for being so tired, and I didn't find my mind wandering to complain even when I totally overshot my turn-around point. I over-shot it by quite a bit, too. Just a total whiff. What happened was I was studying -- and, I do mean very focused -- on this little spot:

It's just a wee corner of a huge grassy area. It was recently mowed showing row upon row upon row of very neat, very straight mower lines. But, this area is too small for the tractor that was obviously used for the rest, so I was "solving" the mower problem (that absolutely no one had because it was perfectly mowed) by picturing how that area needed the go-in-circles-over-itself method instead of back and forth. And, as I was solving that while looking to my right, I missed the marker letting me know to turn around which was to my left. I ran on and kept looking. And, kept looking. And, I finally realized, "Wait ... a ... minute ..." Yeah, I turned around and saw it. I was within two tenths of a mile from it, but that's longer than you think when you're on your feet. Honestly, I was too sleepy to really care, and just picked it up from there!

On my way back, these pretties were smiling at me:

And, these birdies were ignoring me:

And, at the end of my eight miles, a very familiar face was there to greet me!

Hey! I know you and you have all of your
clothes on!! Perhaps you could give some
tips to the dude in the boxers ... he's
probably still out there ...

I showed him my prizes ...

30 more cents!! Just 2 cents shy of $10!!!

... before taking my built-in cool-down walk together!

Most definitely, I'm glad I went. I'm still tired -- have been all day -- but I think the run served me better on the whole than would have another hour and a half of sleep. So, I call that a huge victory! I'm pleased to have reminded myself I have it in me. That was worth something today.

Look around every corner, nook and cranny to not just motivate yourself when you need, but to also support and, frankly, congratulate yourself! Be your biggest fan because you're who you have in the during of such things! We're back at it tomorrow! And, by "we", I intend for that to mean the dog!! She intends for that, too! Have an awesome morning to start off your week, and we'll let you know how ours shakes out!

Runners (Tired) Brain

Do you ever wake up disappointed that you either didn't or don't remember your dream, but then there are other mornings you wake up and start the day completely confused by the dream you had and remember? Yeah ...

I dreamt last night that I was running either a Half Marathon or a Full. I'm not really sure which. Somewhere in the middle of it, I got lost. Then, I thought I found my way when I was on a path that required crossing over a draw bridge. Then, the draw bridge started going up, and I thought how stupid it was for there to be a working draw bridge in the middle of a race course. Then, while waiting for it, I looked and saw people running across a bridge that crossed over the draw bridge. I then headed toward those runners. I had to cut through a shopping mall to get to them. Of course. Oh, and suddenly I was pushing my friend Juli in a wheelchair because she fell along the route and hurt herself and we agreed to do this thing together. And, there were some stairs in that mall between us and the runners crossing the bridge. Juli and I were brainstorming how to get up those stairs when I woke up.

So, we didn't rejoin the runners. I'm pretty certain at that point, Juli and I would have found our way to the food court to bag the race and get some Diet Coke. That's probably a better ending to the dream than my asleep brain was producing.

Dreams are weird.

I do, however, have running on my mind a lot lately. I'm anxious for a solid run where everything feels like it's firing on similar, strong cylinders. Hopefully, tomorrow is that run. If not, though, it'll be okay:

It already promises to be a good run in that the humidity has dropped for the weekend. That, in and of itself, is a gift ranking right up there behind the ability to get out there and go no matter how I feel about doing so. Truly, there's not a lot to complain about.

Here's to anticipating a good run, and I'll see you after!

Just Follow Directions

The only thing wrong with this morning was getting my butt royally handed to me in a best-of-three series of Quiddler with Pit Crew #3:

Remember our favorite word game? Yeah ... I got tromped,
and PC#3 added some pizzazz to the score book!

But, let's face it ... any morning (afternoon ... evening ...) where my kids want to play games with me is a better victory than most anything else I could imagine. So, I'll take it! No bling required.

The aforementioned whooping followed a huge personal victory regarding my running schedule. I woke up feeling much better physically than I have in more than a week -- I've simply not let my legs recover from the most recent long runs. And, that's not good. On top of which, our summer schedule is crazy and not especially conducive to embracing back-to-back-to-back training schedules. But, I took this week's runs (you know, the ones I didn't want to do ... did I ever mention that?!) with enough ease that, by this morning, I could feel recovery coming. All I could think was, "One more day of truly resting would really do a body good." And, right when I was on the verge of taking a stand and moving tomorrow's long run to Sunday, what do you know but the schedule right there on the calendar has the next long run slotted for SUNDAY.

Look what happens when you read the directions that are right in front of you.

There is wisdom in that schedule that has worked time and again. The only time it didn't work well was when the one implementing it didn't follow it correctly. No need to dig into that, though, right? Nope ... just learn from it!

I shall go into tomorrow with complete peace of mind that I'm not only doing the right thing, but I'm following sound direction! I don't promise the morning to be all kinds of peaceful (I do have some Quiddler revenge bubbling around, you know!), but it holds promise of a great way to best prepare myself for Sunday's run! Take care of yourself the way you need, and I'll see you tomorrow!

Broken Record ... Ready To Skip This Beat!

I know I sound like a broken record, but I swear I know this cycle will break. So, please bear with me.

The theme: I so did not want to run today!!

I keep bringing it up because it's this kind of running-sucks streak where it's so tempting to just quit. In fact, I've done just that in the past. A few times. In the past few years, though, I've decided that instead of stopping when I'm weary (and subsequently making excuses to cover the fact that I got tired and felt insecure about that), that I would be totally honest with myself and anyone else, but I would keep going with full faith that life would take another shift, and everything would again feel easier to accomplish! Given the whole picture of my life, of course I'm tired! But, that's part of life's ebbs and flows, so "easier" running will return, and my quitting will not make that happen any time soon.

So, we keep going!

There was someone in the house all kinds of ready to get going ... can you guess? See if you can crack the code ...

Clue: It's the one with the waggy tail.

Clue: It's most definitely not the one
exerting all of her day's energy rolling
to her side!

Today's was the last of the 2-milers on the training schedule (Man! Those went away fast!), and I was very thankful given the swim this run was!! I was dripping with sweat within the first half mile! Stupid humidity making it even less appealing to run today! You'd think I would have appeciated Elly's multiple potty stops ...

"I gotta mark the entire route today, mommy! I just gotta!"

... but, it just got annoying because I just wanted to finish! I did get to check this out while waiting for her, though:

I have no idea what kind of bush this is, but I totally dig that
it is two-toned in the flower department! Or, it's two bushes
planted together that have become one. Either way, outstanding!

After the first mile, I finally fell into Elly's start-stop pattern and embraced it because it was clear it wasn't going to change this time out! I also decided to completely and intentionally shift my mindset to something positive. I decided to be proud of myself for getting out there and going. Because, not only did I really really really really really really really really not want to go, but there was also no magic in making it happen. I just had to decide, and then I just had to do it. Period. After a number of trials and many errors to attempt running in the past, I finally cracked the code: If you really want to go, then just go.

And, so ... we did!

"Yeahhhh we did, mommy!!!"

By the way, I got a super-late start to my running opportunity today -- check out how much dew was still on the grass at 11 a.m.:

I originally took this pic to show that the fairies must have
heard me the other day talking about wanting to see them, (and,
now, we have welcoming homes for them, too!), but then I saw
the dew and was pleased for the physical evidence of the very
wet atmosphere I'd just experienced!!

And, tomorrow?!?! Oh yes ... we rest!! I'm certain this seriously-I'm-tired streak will subside!! It just always feels like it's going to take forever to do so! In the meantime, thanks for hanging with me while I ride this wave! Restful things to come tomorrow! See you then!

The Pit Stop Principle

It wasn't 10 minutes after finishing last night's entry about how much I was not looking forward to running that the idea of my plan to bring Pit Crew #3 with me totally reinvigorated me!! I almost composed an update, but fearing my mood would change in another few minutes, I let good enough alone and waited for the outcome of the actual run!

PC#3 has been helping out a friend with some chores around their house, and, the bonus is, the house is totally within running distance!! So, I routed my run to include going by the house. This totally worked great for me, too, because then I got to sit and chill while he did the work. Out.Standing.

It was nice to have the mid-run break, too, because it was muuuuuuggy out there!! Cut-the-air-with-a-knife kinds of mornings. Makes-it-difficult-to-breathe kinds of mornings. Bleh. However, the weather did not diminish the enthusiasm PC#3 had to sport his new kicks! See?

Do you know how difficult it is to take such a picture when in
motion? Just sayin'.

Most of the first leg of the run was up hill, so it was nice to have our little pit stop! We were immediately greeted by a little furry friend:

"So glad you're here. It's time more people doted on me.
So, get busy."

Before PC#3 got to work, he spread the love:

And, then, it was apparently my job to get on with the pettin' ...

Are you not seeing the sweat dripping from my leg, kitty?

Apparently, you don't care ...

PC#3's jobs take a while, so Miss Kitty and I hung out and watched the world go by for a while:

There was a time when there was no way I'd break up a 3-mile run. But, the way I've been feeling this past week, I think it was the smartest thing I could have done. Leg One went really well (better than I thought), and Leg Two was a breeze! I was a little afraid I'd stiffen up and not want to get back to the run, but my experience was exactly the opposite! I totally attribute that to the pit stop: My time out and about was elongated, but I didn't overdo for the purpose of just getting it done. It's the same principle as taking a walk break where that little break can make a huge, positive difference. (Why do we criticize ourselves for taking walk breaks again? I'm beginning to forget ...)

Together, we accomplished quite a bit early this morning ...

Would you like to know just how sweaty his ear was? I found
that out when we got together for the pic ... um, eww ...

... including hacking off the dog who smelled the unfamiliar kitty as soon as I walked in the door:

"Cannot. Even. Look. At. You."

Tomorrow's another short one before a crazy-packed day!! It's my intention to get up, get out there, and get it done to move on with the day! We'll see how that pans out when I check in tomorrow! In the meantime, take pause when you need. It's amazing how a little stop, a little peace, a little quiet can put you back in motion stronger and better! Take that time for you, and I'll see you after the morning run!

Muddling Works, Too

Okay, I'm tired. Yup, I've hit that point. It's that point where I just feel spent, and the very last thing I want to do anytime soon (and, by that, I mean "tomorrow") is run. I hate when I get to this point. It happens a time or two a year. Have I mentioned I hate it? The beauty, though, is I've been here before, and I know there's another side.

Okay, okay, okayyyyyy!!!

So, there will be a handful more runs that feel like I'm muddling through. Because I will be muddling through them. But, that's okay. For real. The other side always comes and is always worth it.

In the meantime, Pit Crew #3 needed some new kicks. Do they look familiar??

Just like his mom's!! ... But, bigger!!

There's a huge chance he's going to break them in by running with me tomorrow morning. He just doesn't yet know it! Look, I will do just about anything right now to entertain myself to keep me going on these runs ... even sucker my kiddo into going with me! (It's warm and muggy out there -- he's not going to like it, but he likes me, so it should turn out fine!) We'll see how my mapping and my plan for him to go coincide. Between now and then, I'm at least mentally entertained with the possibility! Isn't that personal entertainment sometimes the key to success?!

Whatever it takes, do it to keep yourself going! I'll check in tomorrow and let you know how it turned out on this end!