gels and crosswalks

15 miles . . .

today was much like yesterday but a few degrees cooler. that could be because my alarm actually woke me up and i was an hour earlier. far off fog clinging to the clouds instead of the earth. a mist that never quite turned into a rain. not cold enough for a frost but this weekend we are to get quite a winter blast. the ninja hoodie shall return!!!

i need to order some new gels and bloks, i'm down to my last one and i need to save it for friday's long run. so i didn't take in any calories once i started my run. i definitely felt it near the end and the chocolate milk afterwards felt great. i did take a couple drinks of water at the ten mile mark.

the first mile and half i felt great, strong, in control, thinking it would be an easy run. and then the same thing happened as yesterday. from that point on until just before the 8 mile mark, i was struggling and it was mostly down hill. and then something magically switched and it was easy. even the hills on the way back home were easy. i ended the run at a 6:43 pace.

i had to hit the bathroom at bush park. just before i got there, a parks employee opened the door and stood his bathroom closed sign up. he only took a couple minutes. but then i had to go the bathroom (which seems to take awhile at times). so by the time i started running again, i had cooled off quite a bit. the first 200m or so everything felt awkward and painful. that quickly passed and was replaced with a side stitch that fortunately i could breath out.

i like to watch people at crosswalks go ape on the button to cross the street. at first the push it once. then twice in a row. then they just attack it, repeated strikes. i think if i designed these i would have these attacks make the people wait longer. or maybe there could be a little voice that mocks them.

i have a lot on my mind today. couldn't sleep well last night, tossing and turning, looking at the time. i hate nights like this. i know that this sort of stress affects my running as it affects all areas of life. but the quote from runner's world that i get regularly said 'they say that you can't run away from your troubles. i say that you can.' this is what i clung to on this run. i would use it to center myself, calm myself, bring peace, pray. at it's hardest moments, i used it to motivate me in other areas of my life. if i can run 15 miles today at this pace and again tomorrow, then i am unstoppable. i can face anything in victory. i need not be afraid or be filled with anxiety.

sore quads at the moment. could be from holding screaming baby while doing lunges to stop the screaming.