Wednesday

By all reasonable accounts, I shouldn't have gone running on Wednesday.  My daughter was sick.  My son was slammed with homework.  My husband is leaving in a few days for a two month trip.  I had a meeting with someone who was only in town for a week.  I shouldn't have gone running.  

Saturday's workout reduced me to tears.  My legs hurt.  My chest was on fire.  We completed the loop only to discover that we had missed a turn and only run 2 of the planned 3 mile route. How do you miss an entire mile?  What had felt manageable last NOBO just felt hard and depressing.  I shouldn't have gone running. 

I tried to run by myself on Monday.  I couldn't even get through a two minute interval without needing to stop and breathe.  I couldn't seem to regulate my speed so that I could sustain the pace at a manageable level.  I shouldn't have gone running.

It was raining and I didn't have a waterproof jacket, or my spy belt or a water bottle.  I definitely shouldn't have gone running.

I went running.

I went running and it felt pretty damn good. 

The first mile was challenging. The second mile was kind of exhilarating.  Mile three was somewhat peaceful.  When I rounded the corner and headed down the last stretch, I was almost dancing.  I felt a little like a drunk karaoke singer – It might have been embarrassing for everyone else but I felt like the real deal. 

I remembered the body adjustment suggested by the Chi running coach and discovered that gravity can actually be a force for good.  I started focusing on my arm motion and discovered that apparently my arms thought that I was trying to fly.  I'd been crossing my arms across my body and then swinging them out looking no doubt like a cross between a bad tae bo instructor and a bird recently evicted from its next.  Once I began swinging my arms in line with my body, I found a little boost to my speed.  Go chi running!

When I started NOBO, I did it for me.  It wasn't about my family or my job.  It wasn't about meeting someone else's expectations.   It became more than running.  It became more than the first race. 

I definitely shouldn't have gone running on Wednesday but I'm really glad that I did.