5+5 = 10

Aside from having the ability to complete basic addition problems, I found out today that I'm a little strange,
Just the other post I was whining that having a beverage or two had an ill effect on my ability to run short distances. However, stupidly having 2 glasses of wine the evening before a long run apparently isn't as detrimental.
It must be the sugar?
The first 2 miles were a little stiff, but after a pause and a stretch, the remaining eight were okay. . . aside from the earpieces of my MP3 randomly popping out, my eagerness for a sip of water resulting in the tearing of the bottle and holder from my field belt and subsequent fussing to reattach it, and the drizzle.
Today was a little lonely. The person I ususally run with didn't show up this morning, so all I had were my tunes.
Note to Self: remove all Death Cab for Cutie and Elliot Smith from music shuffle prior to running.

Setback

So my sis and I went out last night and got a little drinky.
Today I felt like ass. A simple, short run felt like 3x the distance!
I'm amazed how a seemingly harmless night out can screw with me.

Meh.

High Knees

What do Eminem and I have in common? Eight Mile - he, a crappy movie; me, a distance run this morning.
It snowed last night and the guys driving the plows to clear the lakefront paths for all us masochists were about ten minutes too late, meaning that I and several others were doing what felt like high-knee running through snow while the plow truck bore down on us at a reckless five miles per hour clearing the parts of the path we had just run on.
Fortunately, not all was covered in snow. We soon (by "soon" I mean after three miles) reached a cleared part of the path (by "cleared" I mean littered with slushy snow puddles) where we could mogul run out the fiver we had left.
I stepped in my fair share of said slushy puddles and I will say just two things: 1) slush puddles are damn cold 2) "dry-fit moisture-wicking" socks cease to be dry when they are soaked in cold water and thus do not wick sufficiently.
Donate money, damnit. Its cold out here. http:www.active.com/donate/tntil/JHanra

A Mime is a Terrible Thing

What was fantastic this morining was running along the lakefront under a patchwork of dark clouds and new sunlight watching 3-5 foot waves crashing against the breakwall.
What was not so fantastic was running against the wind that created these fabulous waves like a mime in hot pursuit of something! I hate mimes! I don't want to be a mime!
Today felt a little blah. The usual trainers weren't there. They're off in Arizona having taken a team to do some race or other where I'm sure the cold and wind were not a factor - just scorpions, rattlesnakes, and silicon.
All in all, I'm hoping that the weather stays as merciful as it has been for January in Chicago.

If I Had 1/10 of the Heart of Ruettiger

If I Had 1/10 of the Heart of Ruettiger I would have run eleven marathons by now. I'm going on 28 and the first time I ran a distance over the required 1 mile trial in high school was 2 years ago. A milestone in my life was training for the Madison 1/2 marathon with my sister. I had no confidence in running back then and right now what little I have is waning.
I don't have a Second. I don't have someone telling me that I can do it, or more to the point, someone who says I can't so I get motivated to prove him/her wrong. The people who get paid to cheer me on don't count. That first time training, I went through a host of runners aliments from shin splints to a sprained knee. I trained the best I could and did the half somewhat because I had the idea that people were expecting me not to.
"You've had injuries, we understand if you can't make it to the end. We're proud of you anyway for training."
I finished a bit better than I thought I would - knee brace and all.
Despite my "Rudy" story, I'm a lazy athlete who has no consistency in her regime. I seriously think I bit off more than I can chew and wonder if I'm going to get injured. This week is a step-back week, so it hasn't been too taxing on me. I skipped my short training routine today because I had to go grocery shopping and do laundry. I hate when life gets in the way.
Next weekend is an eight-miler. I'm anxious about it, like turning a blind corner. Its been kind of easy so far, but my training is going to get nothing but harder from here on out.

Hmmm

What ease I had completing my run last week found its polar opposite this morning. I overslept and was late getting to the meeting point on Wilson. I usually get there early, hop around to stay warm and stretch a bit before heading out. This morning I went straight from the car to the path to find my pace group. I felt heavy, not fat-wise, but slow and dense - like a linebacker. Every movement seemed to take extra effort and the increase to six miles today was definitely a challenge. I wonder if today would have been as difficult if I would have kept up running over the summer. They say that for every two days you don't run you lose fitness. I took about 3 months off. I haven't sat down to do the math, but from the toll the training is taking so far, I don't think I have to.

Meh

A moment to rant:
I can appreciate the people who make a vow to join a gym in order to make themselves healthier, shed a few pounds, etc.
However, do we all have to do it at the exact same time?
Its a bit odd (okay, annoying) having to wait in line for a treadmill. What usually takes 40 minutes from start to finish is up near an hour now.
Sigh.