Believe It Or Not…

Ten miles – CHECK! I’m officially in the double digits. My body does not feel 100%, but it seems to be withstanding the increased mileage okay. Not perfect, but okay. If you are new to the party, I had a hip stress fracture back in October and am now back to running, sort of. I am planning on running the Boston Marathon in April.

I know this blog is called, “Shut Up and Run,” but there are actually few times I need to tell myself that. I have many problems and challenges, but self discipline is not one of them. This morning, however, I had to scream it in the mirror. It was just one of  those days. Not all runs are equal and sometimes we start out on the wrong foot. But, we continue anyway.

Up at 5:45 a.m, I was trying to get in my long run before I had to head to Sam’s baseball tournament started at 8:30am. It was all a go. I had mapped out a run, laid out the required gear and got a good night’s sleep.

Bad thing was when I got up I could hear the wind howling outside. I muttered the eff word under my breath. I was headed to the Boulder Reservoir and I knew if it was windy at my house it would be Wizard of Oz style windy at the Rez (that’s what the cool people call it). I briefly considered a ten mile treadmill run, but not having the mental fortitude of Janae or EMZ, I kept with my plan.

I arrived at my start point and it was still pitch black outside. For some reason I thought the sun rose at 6:30 a.m., but it’s more like 7:00 a.m. I never run alone in the dark. There was a full moon casting some light on my skinny ass, so that made it okay. Okay, don’t get on my case for running in the dark. I know it is stupid and attackers, wild animals and potholes are waiting around every turn. This was a one time thing and only for 20 minutes. And it wasn’t as pitch black as it seems in this picture. Really it wasn’t.

I wasn’t ten feet from my car when I took advantage of the darkness and squatted in the trees. Crap. Yes, already. And I hadn’t even started.

The first five miles I made three, yes three, more pit stops along the trail. The wind was deafening and humbling. I trudged on, not worried about my pace. More concerned with my stomach.

I’d like to act all naïve as to why my insides were revolting, but we spent Saturday evening at a tap table at Rock Bottom Brewery, so you have your answer. I only had two beers, but I never have good luck with beer the night before long runs. Or really beer anytime. It makes me gassy and moves things through too quickly. By the way…a tap table is this incredible thing. You have five beer taps at your table and pour yourself beer as you please. The bar keeps tabs and you pay at the end. Convenient. Dangerous. Heavenly. It is kind of like this, although this is not our actual table:

The sun started to come up and my spirits rose a bit. I was still heading directly west and into the wind, but I kept telling myself the turn around was soon.

 

I encountered a little farm. Yes, I was the only one around for miles. This is advantageous when you have to poop a lot.

I hit mile six and was thrilled to see this, my best friend:

By mile seven the wind had died down and so had my stomach. I cautiously managed to choke down a gel. I saw another runner and she told me I had blood all over my teeth. WTF? Lips chapped from the wind. Another bonus of this run.

I put in my iPod for the last two miles and reached around to pat myself on the back. This was my highest mileage run since September, pre-inury. I did it in wind and darkness and with the shits and bloody teeth. I always think that the most challenging runs we have are the ones that mentally prepare us the best for race day.

Post run, still trying to hold it in:

If it is windy in Boston on April 18 I will hurt someone. Note to self: no beer the night of April 17. Just tequila shots (kidding).

What was your long run this weekend? Any stomach problems?

Ever sat at a tap table?

Time for a nap,

SUAR

PS: Congrats to McRunner who ran a 2:36:54 marathon in LA today. Average pace = 5:56. A PR for him! Regardless of what you think of his 30 experiment, the dude pulled out a killer marathon!