Be Good to Yourself

Distance & Time:  10 miles, about 2 hours 

Run / Walk Interval (in minutes): 4 / 1 (generally)

Weather:  30s, light drizzle

Course / Dogs: PATH outside my house with dogs for 3 miles; last 7 miles on treadmill at LA Fitness

Nutrition / Hydration:  Cliff bar for breakfast; Sharkies energy chews and water on treadmill

Notes on the Run:

The morning started at 7 AM. I woke up early to attend an 8 AM seminar at Big Peach Running Company, my favorite running store in Atlanta. They were giving away two free entries into ING Georgia, and since I decided to run the half this year, I wanted to win. They also had group runs with official ING pacing teams, a sports nutritionist on hand, and served breakfast after the group run. Mizuno was on hand for giving their shoes a test run. The morning had great potential!

When I got there at 8:05, the pacing teams were already filing out the door. They were still giving away raffle tickets, so I eagerly got in line, but was one of the last to get a ticket. My number was 532 (remember that, it will come back in play in a moment). First they gave away goodies like clothing, and the first winning number was 533. They gave away a few more. Finally they got to the free race entries. The first two numbers they picked were not claimed; turns out they had already left with the pacing teams. Wouldn’t you know it, but the next number was 531. If that wasn’t bad enough, the next free race entry went to…yes you guessed it, 530. Recap for those not paying attention, if I had been 1 or 2 persons earlier, or 1 person later, I would have won something. But I won nothing. But all was not lost. I could still go on a group run and try out some new shoes, I assumed. I went out and the ING booth was set up registering people for $10 off the price. So I decided to sign up, and I got a 2009 race shirt for free and only paid $70 for the half marathon. By the time I got my race registration, tried to get shoes to test (they start at 6 and I’m a 5 or 5.5!), everyone had already left and it started to rain. The wind and cold were so disheartening that I decided to go to the gym and left, despite the fact that this area (Brookhaven) is one of my favorite neighborhoods to run in.

As I drove, I realized I had all my warm weather gear and would not want to run indoors with my warm weather pants, underarmour shirt, etc. So I decided to go home, and, because it stopped raining for the most part, and because Bella and Sandman were so eager to go running, I decided to warm up by taking them out for three miles or more depending on how I was feeling. It ended up only being 2.82 miles because the cold and rain just got to me. I simply did not want to go on with them.

I finished the run at the gym with my iPod. “Be Good to yourself”… “when nobody else will” by Journey was playing. I got a burst since that is what I have been practicing, especially this morning, by buying my own race registration when they gave it to everyone except me, and running when and where I felt like it. I continued it by resetting the treadmill after 3 miles in case anyone came by and saw that I was on past the 20 minute time limit. I had my spot at the end of the row with no TV in front of me, and that is how I wanted it.

I can’t wait for it to warm up…just a little, that is. But as I’ve been told, be careful what you wish for!