Dress Rehearsal

Today was my last long run before next weekend's 10k. Last night I got my gear together: pants, check; bra, check; shoes, check; chapstick, check. I tried to make it feel like I was getting ready for race day. I even felt a little nervous. Until today, my longest run was 5 miles; the idea of going farther than that worried me.

From the minute I got up, I was trying to make excuses as to why I couldn't go on a long run today. I was too tired. (I wasn't.) The baby was going to be grumpy. (She was happily playing with big brother.) I have to work tonight. (So what?) I was getting myself ready to run while simultaneously talking myself out of running at all.

For breakfast I had some leftover juice from last night (cucumber, celery, beet, and grapefruit with some lemon juice), a small banana, espresso with half and half, and a small spoon of chunky JIF. I waited about 45 minutes, did a quick warm-up, and arranged for Thomas to be my "Water Station". I decided to go south on our road as far as the VFW, then north past the house to the stop sign, then home. I figured that would be not quite 5.5 miles, but I fully intended to cheat and call it close enough.

It was a perfect morning to be out, but I just wasn't feeling it at all. The entire first mile I was wondering who I would have to call or e-mail to switch from the 10k to the 5k. I was carrying Chuck's GPS with me, and I kept checking it about every quarter mile without really even seeing what it said. Thomas was waiting at the driveway with some water for me; that cheered me up, and I started actually enjoying being out.

As I neared home I realized I didn't want to cheat on the distance. "F-ck you, I can do this," I said out loud, and turned up Juno Road instead of just going home. I'm not sure who that was directed to. Maybe I was talking to my feet who were begging me to just get OFF of them for a minute. Maybe the road, for its indifferent uphillyness. Most likely, I was talking to myself. Or, rather, that part of myself that would so much prefer to spend a Sunday morning eating pancakes and sausage and syrup by the gallons and then trying to read a good book but falling asleep in an insulin stupor.

I am proud to say that the Active Me won out over the Apathetic Me. I ended up doing 5.73 miles (plus a cool-down walk) in one hour, seven minutes and change. I will not be calling anybody about changing my race registration. I may be the slowest 10k runner, but I will finish that race!