No Crying

Distance: 3 miles
Start time: 2:06 pm
Run Duration: 29 minutes
Average Pace: 9.67 minutes/mile
Temperature: 77 degrees
Humidity: 48%
Location: Reliant Area

They say there's no crying in sport, but there was plenty of whining in my head as I started out today. I had no confidence in my ability to complete the 3 miles in front of me. I had a list of reasons not to run.

1. I hadn't run in over a week. It would be hard.
2. I have the end of a light cold, or the remainders of really crappy allergies.
3. I haven't been sleeping well because of number 2.
4. The area around the fourth and fifth metatarsals on my left foot hurts like a bastard. It's not my little toe, it's more proximal, deep in my foot. I've been afraid it might be a stress fracture, but I haven't been running for a week. I think it's more a matter of standing hour upon hour in surgery in bad shoes.

Add up 1 through 4 and they're all excuses. They're all outweighed by one big thing.

I WANT TO RUN.

Today, more than anything else, I wanted to put on my shoes, get out in the sunshine and sweat.

So...I put on my shoes, I stepped into the sunshine and I started to run. Oh, mama! My foot hurt, but only for a little while. I was running on pavement, which I haven't done in ages. I'll have to do it more often. The race in January is on city streets. My foot doesn't really hurt now, it's only a slight ache. I'll take some ibuprofen. My lungs burned. Yeah, they really did. I'd used my inhaler, but the pollen is still very, very thick out there and I felt it. I must have sounded like the little engine that could, chugging down the street.

I was more determined than ever to get these miles in today. They're in. I'm happy. It felt very much like when I first started running. I kept a litany of curse words going the entire time. I swore I'd get through it. And I did. Faster than I've gone in awhile. Surprise!

Lifting up gratitude today for the sunshine. It was simply too beautiful to waste.