I wasn't this drenched after running a marathon!
"Running is a big question mark that’s there each and every day. It asks you, ‘Are you going to be a wimp or are you going to be strong today?'"~ Peter Maher
You all know the scenario. You're scheduled to do a run, the weather looks uninviting, you're feeling unmotivated and your head is saying "stay home." You've convinced yourself that you can just do the run later; tomorrow even. A few hours pass and you're sitting there horking down donuts in your pajamas. You've got white powder down the front of you and guilt sets in. The brain that only hours earlier convinced you not to go is now saying "Those donuts are making their way to your hips. You're such a big fat sloth."
That was me last weekend. Well, minus the donuts because I don't allow those in my house. (I usually eat them in the car on the way home from the grocery store, shhhh). Saturday I was supposed to do a Full Moon 6 mile fun run on the trail. It was a monsoon that entire day and didn't look like it was going to clear up, at all. I chose to forgo the run, for red wine and safety purposes. I had no doubts they would cancel the run because the conditions were just not ideal. Plus, from my view from Earth, I saw zero moon at 9 pm. I'm not sure how a Full Moon "light the trail" run qualifies when there is no moon to be seen, but I digress. I planned on getting in my 6 miler the next morning. The weather was still supposed to be gross, but at least I would be running in the daylight and not dodging an attack of werewolves.
I woke up Sunday morning to the sound of rain, lots and lots of rain. It was treacherous out there. I was sleepy, grumpy and in no mood to get my brand new kicks soaked. Basically, my brain was telling my body, "Just don't do it. Stay home, drink coffee, wear pj's all day." I started chugging my coffee and conceded to the fact that I wasn't going to run, again. I figured I could do my 6 miler on Monday. Are you noticing a trend?? Also, how is it I am depressed for 6 weeks because I can't run but then I start slacking once I'm able to? Talk about confusing! Anyway, a few hours later the guilt started to seep into my brain...
Around noon, I noticed the rain was slowing down. I checked the radar and it looked like there was going to be about an hour lull between storms. I quickly threw on some clothes, laced up my shoes and headed out. It was then or never! I headed out to a road I've been eyeing up for a few months. It's long and windy with some pretty big hills. I figured I needed to punish myself for having such a slacker mentality all morning. I NEEDED to get in the 6 mile run and I couldn't just push it off for days and days, completely messing up the rest of my schedule. The weather was ideal. It was cloudy, cool and there was a little breeze. It was slightly humid out from all of the rain but it didn't feel terrible. As I was about to climb the first hill I noticed some pretty nasty clouds. I figured I needed to kick it into high gear and get home, fast.
Around mile 3, as I was climbing yet another hill, the sun started to peak out from the clouds. Since it was close to 1 pm at this time it was a scalding heat. I made it up the hill onto a very flat, but scenic, back road. The sun was so hot that I felt as though my shoes were melting into the road. I started weaving back and forth trying to find shade under trees, or even get a drop of rain on me from the leaves. Thankfully, I was smart enough to bring my fuel belt along with me. OK, that was all thanks to my husband who insisted I take it with me. I think it was more the cost of the belt than the desire to keep me hydrated, but whatever.
So, I'm melting. I have never felt sweat come out of my body the way it was that day. The only motivation I had to keep going was the idea of soaking in an ice bath when I got home. Also, the faster I ran, the quicker I would get out of the heat. By the time I made it home the entire neighborhood was completely dry. The sidewalk resembled the Sahara desert. I stopped in front of my house and looked around. Dark clouds were rolling in and another storm was starting up. The lull in the storm wasn't just Mother Nature taking a break from drowning us. It was my punishment for thinking I could push off my run because of some measly rain.
The thing is, I always have guilt if I miss a run. I will beat myself up about it until I get out there and make up for it. The guilt will always find me, but I can make the choice to run away from it. If only I could find a way to hide from the rhythm...
Run Hard,
Run Strong,
Run for You,
Holly
You all know the scenario. You're scheduled to do a run, the weather looks uninviting, you're feeling unmotivated and your head is saying "stay home." You've convinced yourself that you can just do the run later; tomorrow even. A few hours pass and you're sitting there horking down donuts in your pajamas. You've got white powder down the front of you and guilt sets in. The brain that only hours earlier convinced you not to go is now saying "Those donuts are making their way to your hips. You're such a big fat sloth."
That was me last weekend. Well, minus the donuts because I don't allow those in my house. (I usually eat them in the car on the way home from the grocery store, shhhh). Saturday I was supposed to do a Full Moon 6 mile fun run on the trail. It was a monsoon that entire day and didn't look like it was going to clear up, at all. I chose to forgo the run, for red wine and safety purposes. I had no doubts they would cancel the run because the conditions were just not ideal. Plus, from my view from Earth, I saw zero moon at 9 pm. I'm not sure how a Full Moon "light the trail" run qualifies when there is no moon to be seen, but I digress. I planned on getting in my 6 miler the next morning. The weather was still supposed to be gross, but at least I would be running in the daylight and not dodging an attack of werewolves.
I woke up Sunday morning to the sound of rain, lots and lots of rain. It was treacherous out there. I was sleepy, grumpy and in no mood to get my brand new kicks soaked. Basically, my brain was telling my body, "Just don't do it. Stay home, drink coffee, wear pj's all day." I started chugging my coffee and conceded to the fact that I wasn't going to run, again. I figured I could do my 6 miler on Monday. Are you noticing a trend?? Also, how is it I am depressed for 6 weeks because I can't run but then I start slacking once I'm able to? Talk about confusing! Anyway, a few hours later the guilt started to seep into my brain...
Around noon, I noticed the rain was slowing down. I checked the radar and it looked like there was going to be about an hour lull between storms. I quickly threw on some clothes, laced up my shoes and headed out. It was then or never! I headed out to a road I've been eyeing up for a few months. It's long and windy with some pretty big hills. I figured I needed to punish myself for having such a slacker mentality all morning. I NEEDED to get in the 6 mile run and I couldn't just push it off for days and days, completely messing up the rest of my schedule. The weather was ideal. It was cloudy, cool and there was a little breeze. It was slightly humid out from all of the rain but it didn't feel terrible. As I was about to climb the first hill I noticed some pretty nasty clouds. I figured I needed to kick it into high gear and get home, fast.
Around mile 3, as I was climbing yet another hill, the sun started to peak out from the clouds. Since it was close to 1 pm at this time it was a scalding heat. I made it up the hill onto a very flat, but scenic, back road. The sun was so hot that I felt as though my shoes were melting into the road. I started weaving back and forth trying to find shade under trees, or even get a drop of rain on me from the leaves. Thankfully, I was smart enough to bring my fuel belt along with me. OK, that was all thanks to my husband who insisted I take it with me. I think it was more the cost of the belt than the desire to keep me hydrated, but whatever.
So, I'm melting. I have never felt sweat come out of my body the way it was that day. The only motivation I had to keep going was the idea of soaking in an ice bath when I got home. Also, the faster I ran, the quicker I would get out of the heat. By the time I made it home the entire neighborhood was completely dry. The sidewalk resembled the Sahara desert. I stopped in front of my house and looked around. Dark clouds were rolling in and another storm was starting up. The lull in the storm wasn't just Mother Nature taking a break from drowning us. It was my punishment for thinking I could push off my run because of some measly rain.
The thing is, I always have guilt if I miss a run. I will beat myself up about it until I get out there and make up for it. The guilt will always find me, but I can make the choice to run away from it. If only I could find a way to hide from the rhythm...
Run Hard,
Run Strong,
Run for You,
Holly
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