The Difference a few hours.

Some days are days you wonder why you didn't just stay under the covers in your safe place.
That's how running is.
Wednesdays run sucked from the beginning to the end. I took off optimistic and ready to roll.
The sky was dark and the thunder was grumbling off in the distance. These conditions actually put a giddy smile on my face. I love thunderstorms, running in them makes my adrenaline pump.
I was scheduled to run 10 miles and run them faster.
FASTER...BA HAAA.
I thought I was going to die the first mile.
Everything was pumping BUT adrenaline!
I was so glad I was alone. I could whine out loud and no one could hear me. I could hear my breathing, it wasn't healthy sounding!
But more than that, I could hear the battle raging between my ears.
For 10 miles I fought the voices in my head. I wanted to quit. I wanted to go slower. I wanted to walk. I wanted to puke. It was awful. Everything hurt.
The wind picked up from the storm and that ticked me off. The rain began spitting on me, that would normally make me whistle Dixie, but I was irritated  by the sprinkles. The damp air just made the humidity worse. This made the sweat double. The air was thick and hot.
It never got any better. Just when I was getting calmed down I had a hill to hit. I looked down at my watch and tried not to flip out. I could hear my running partners "ANITA, you need to run this run FAST."
"MAINTAIN, Maintain, just keep moving." EVERYTHING Sucked.

BUT then...I put my run on halt. I took a few minutes to enjoy the full downpour on me. I walked down by the river and embraced the moment. I gave thanks and felt tears welling in my eyes. It was beautiful. Everything at that moment was perfect. I stepped closer to the river. The water danced around the rocks all the while the rain gently landed and bounced. The music it made could have put me to sleep.

It was time to grind it out. Time to deal with the misery that lied ahead, another 4 miles of SUCK.

And it did.

Such as life. Some days we just got to grind out the suck. Take a moment to pause and smell the roses then get back in the saddle again.
Not every run is Jim Dandy and Peachy Keen. The battle isn't in your lungs or in your legs, it is in your head. It was a 10 mile war. I fought the voices more than I fought trying to maintain my sub 9min pace.

THANK GOD for new days!
My original plan for todays run was a solid Solo 16 miler at Holdridge. I didn't put out any calls. I wanted to just get in my head and get it done.
But Matt and Rachel almost at the same time sent out texts to meet for a trail run. I was so excited to see them. I haven't ran with Rachel in weeks. I was eager to see her and catch up.

Grubers Grinder: Holdridge. 16.5 miles
3h:05min
We got started a little after nine. I picked my favorite place in the back of the pack. We ran steady and smooth. The bugs were kind to us this morning. The temperatures in the woods were actually very pleasant. A cool breeze would sneak through the trees every few minutes bringing our temperatures down. It was delightful.
We took most of the hills and even continued to move during our water and nutrition breaks.
The berries were ripening up along the trail at about mile 10ish, together we all took a moment to try them and catch our breath.

Before and After

My body felt good, and my spirits were even better. I was hot but we all were. We all were sweating and dripping. I had my pack on and as the miles increased so did my annoyance for the pack. But we kept moving, we kept the conversation light and encouraging.
We finished our run strong, strong smelling, and smiling. It was such a good run. I had packed a lemon cookie and some oranges. We were all smacking our lips and feeling the energy coming back. My boys were hunting me down, Play time was OVER!

Rachel and I

The best recovery run lunch. I took the boys out to lunch at the Davisburg Bread Company.

A vietenese sandwhich, sweet and spicy. SOOO Yummy.

I finished my night out with a Cup of Tazo English Breakfast Black tea w/Vanilla creamer and sugar cubes. Lovely other than the fact I will probably be up all night!

"Let your running lead you to your diet." Bill Rodgers