This morning, as I mentioned in Less Than a Downpour, I took my long run of the week. I am training to run in the half-marathon at Disney's Marathon Weekend in January with my friend Linette, who won an entry fee for the race through her work. Linette offered to pay half of my entry fee if I would endure the pain-- and joy-- of running 13.1 miles with her. After all the fun and inspiration that Linette has brought to my life since we reconnected at her My Small Town High School Class of 1991 Reunion this summer (mine is next summer), I couldn't let her down.
Loyal readers of Single Girl in a Small Town already know the above information, but I felt it necessary to do a bit of review in order to justify the utter madness of today's training experience.
It was only five miles.
Five wet miles.
I woke up to the sound of rain on the rooftop. Hmmmm.... Excellent curling up with a good book and a mug of hot tea weather... not so good running weather. When I actually ventured out of my bedroom the rain had mostly subsided.
It was misting. Barely.
I am not one to let a little mist stop me from exercising, so I put on yoga pants and a t-shirt that I knew would provide the bit of motivation required when my body started wanting to slow down and walk rather than finish the five miles with strength. I bought this t-shirt at the Life is Good shop in the chi-chi part of the Biggish City near My Small Town back in December. The phrase on the t-shirt spoke to me... Optimism can take you anywhere. That is so true. It's easy to get stuck when life is not so good, but I find that focusing on the positive-- music that makes me happy, friends who make me laugh, even clothes with motivational phrases-- keeps me going. The shirt is pictured above. When the shirt is dry, it is a nice bright pink. Wet... more of a deeper magenta.
Note that the color in the photograph is not bright.
I drove to My Small Town Lakefront excited about my first run of any real distance since starting the training. Four miles, when I am running the lakefront, is typical. Five miles is not. Next weekend another mile will be added for a total of six, and each weekend the distance will continue to lengthen by a mile. There was a bit of mist on the Scion's windshield but I wasn't too concerned. When I started my run, the mist felt cooling and kind of nice. I took off my cap, which was making my head just a smidge hot, and enjoyed the breeze. I finished the first two miles easily. That was when the mist transformed to actual raindrops that were felt on my face. I put my cap back on, and continued.
I was committed. Apparently, the rain was too. I finished the last three miles, but by the end I was completely wet. My socks, my shirt, my pants, even my sports bra. And the cap? Drops of rain were actually falling off the bill. I failed to see a small puddle, trudged through it, and my already moistened shoes got drenched. Fortunately this happened in the last half mile, so I didn't have too much further to go in soaking wet shoes. Still... I soldiered on, even more determined to finish strong.
When I got home my feet were postively prune-esque. I took a cold shower, followed by a hot bath, put on a fresh pair of yoga pants, which I am convinced really is the most perfect item of clothing when home and in chill-mode and I've been full-on relaxing ever since.
I have made one exception to my state of peace, tranquility, and do-nothingness: a single load of laundry. I mean, I'm almost out of clean pairs of yoga pants! That can't happen.
Addendum: The author would like to note that while a couple of years ago she started wearing yoga pants in order to accommodate her growing girth, she is now very pleased to reveal that her stomach is mostly flat, and quite delighted that there is now less of her to love. Life is very good indeed!
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