She's Up and She's Down

I love to run with my iPod; there is nothing that will get my legs moving better than a really fast tempo'd, upbeat song.  I know music-infested runs aren't the choice by many of you, and that's fine - to each our own; but I need something to distract the task at had sometimes, not always but most times... and my iPod works. 

Most of the time.

My daughter is appalled that I download  individual songs I like and not the entire album which contains that favorite song.  Whatever.  My daughter also pretty much shakes her head at my wardrobe, too, amongst other embarrassing things I do around her....it's so nice to have a 20-year old live-in critic of all my life's failures.

Moving on....

So I download songs that move me and Katy P. and I have so much in common that I can't help but capture a few of her feisty songs...it's okay, you can laugh, but you know you really do love her and really, we're so similar it's scary:

She: Sings well
Me: Cannot sing.  At all

She: Has gorgeous sleek, black hair

Me: Has dirty blonde hair which usually hides in a ponytail
She: Has massive cleavage

Me: Not even close
She: Can be quite annoying
Me: Never!
Yep, we're pretty closely matched, her and I - I bet we'd even be great friends if she lived next door, but some of her songs just resonate emotionally with me, whether it's the lyrics or the beat, and on Sunday's "long run" she popped into my ears... right at the wrong time.

Where I was UP last week, flying high in an overdose of running endorphins post-podiatrist "ok to run", Sunday brought a HUGE down.  I had a horrible chest cold and where I probably should have stayed in bed and rested, I instead set out to tackle 16 miles.  A quarter mile in when I had to stop and cough up part of my throat, I should have taken that as a sign things were going to eventually go sour and turned around.  But no one said I am always rational, so on I went.  At mile 9, when I was about 3.5 miles from my car, my fatigued body gave up and to give my exploding throat pain a little company, my heel decided to start screaming. 

"You're hot and your cold.....You're up and your down....."

Grrrr!  Katy, I really despise you right now. 

I limped home the last 3ish miles and just felt totally down all day.

I took Monday off from everything - mostly because I felt like crap, and also because Denver was pelted with this Arctic blast of cold air and I just hate cold weather and didn't want to venture outdoors in -13 degrees to the germ-infested gym.  So Tuesday rolls around and I gotta run.  Except it's -16 when I wake, and that's real temperature, not that fake wind chill stuff - school was even called off and we got a "cold day" (and no school today either because it's just too dang cold for those little feet to walk to school!  It's ok, you can be jealous all you want....it's not like I'm sitting on the beach in Maui or anything, but at least I'm not encased in that cinder block school!) so it's the basement treadmill I go.

I truly believe sometimes the more I want something to work, the more it does not.  For instance, the more I obsess over my watch for a stellar race time, the more I crash and burn.  So I made the conscience decision I'd step on the treadmill with zero expectations other than it'd be really nice if I could somehow get in those 16 I missed on Sunday.  But if I only made 4, that's ok - it's not like I was feeling even close to 100% yet so I had no idea what the lungs and legs could do. 

I started off feeling blahish but set the treadmill to molasses pace and soon that feeling a fatigue and malice finally subsided.  I blared my iPod, watched some horrible crap tv (is there anything good on at 11:00 in the morning?) and ...

  ... 17.1 miles later I stopped.

I know!!!  What the heck!?!  I even progression ran the last 5 miles!
Honestly I think I could have pulled off that 50-miler off today - I felt amazing!  Really!!  Heel? A little annoying the last few miles but nothing paralyzing.  And you know what song just happened to be playing during the last mile???

Do you ever feel like a plastic bag,
drifting through the wind
wanting to start again?  yes, Katy, I felt like that for the past 11 months!
Do you ever feel, feel so paper thin
like a house of cards,
one blow from caving in? Um, not running for 11 months left me less than paper-thin, Katy, but I'm slowly chipping away at that

Do you ever feel already buried deep? Almost daily!
6 feet under screams but no one seems to hear a thing  YES!
Do you know that there's still a chance for you There is?
'Cause there's a spark in you  Yes, I think I felt it today....17.1 miles will do that to you

You just gotta ignite, the light, and let it shine
I'm ready....bring it!

Ok, Katy, we are definitely friends again!
I have no doubt I'm going to have really bad down days ahead, but nothing can beat a 17.1 mile high right now.....I can feel the light and it feels warm; I'll remember this day when things are down and know that at the end of the light, there is always a way up!

I cannot close without saying a quick shout-out to my pal, Chris K., as he goes to Surf City this weekend and WILL walk away with his much sought after BQ.  I know I can give him an occasional much-deserved hard time but as I sit here and roll out my PF, as I do daily, with the Rubz ball he sent me a couple months ago, I can't help but be pretty emotional about his race Sunday. Chris, bring home the gold baby!! (and please feel free to send more gifts, anytime)

Week 4:
Miles run: 43.08
Total 2011 miles: 132.08

Monday: 10.5 miles on my basement TM
Tuesday: Swim 1000 yds
Wednesday:10.18 miles on the state park trails
Thursday:7.5 miles, 8x400Upper body weights
Friday:3 miles wu core and leg weights
Saturday: Off
Sunday: 12.3 miserabe miles

Run strong, Friends!