Today's Run

I woke up with anticipation of a good run today. And the reason behind my extreme optimism? I had new shoes and a new running singlet so I was going to look hot - and I had to run accordingly.

Stupid, huh?! I've only been running longer stretches (ie anything over 2k) for about a week. Yes, I ran 5k on Saturday. Yes, I ran every step of my run on Tuesday - all 6.4k of it - but I had a couple of chat breaks. Yes, my resting heart rate is still elevated so I'm not back to normal yet. And yes, the doctor said it would take months. But still I just felt like I was going to have a good one.

For the last few weeks I've been running the same route on Thursdays and Sundays and, even though it gives me a really good comparison of data from one run to the next, it's kind of getting boring. No, it's REALLY getting boring. I decided that the route out to the University of Queensland would be flat enough so that's where I headed. And it was flat enough - until I got to the hill.

Can I just say at this point, any positive elevation is a hill in my book? Because my heart rate is unusually reactive just the slightest rise can get an extraordinary rise in my pulse. And because I have to keep my HR as low as possible, hills are not my friend.

Somewhere in the back of my head I'd had a little whispered thought that maybe I could run the whole way. And maybe I could stretch the distance out from my usual 7k to a nice, neat 10k. Some might call me delusional. I like to think I'm a positive thinker with delusions of grandeur. It's all how you look at it really.

Well that hill put the kibosh on my grand plans. I got right to the uni (about 4.5k) and had to walk to get my HR under control. Funny thing is that my legs don't feel too bad. They want to go faster. It's just the numbers on the watch that make me pull back.

But even though I had to walk, I didn't cut back on my distance. Once I've decided my route I never change. I can be stubbornly pig-headed. I ran down past the duck pond and then around to the front entrance of the university again and almost literally ran into my husband who was cycling to work. He'd stopped at the round-about in front of a few workmen so I took the opportunity to plant a big one on him as I passed just to leave them wondering.

I ended up having four walk breaks - disappointing. But the last 200m is across the school oval next to our house and I just couldn't resist putting the accelerator down and just running fast for the hell of it. It felt so good!

But despite the endorphin rush from that little sprint, I still felt a bit down about the run until I read Erika's blog. It talked about savouring every run - even the sucky ones - because we can't get to the good ones without going through the bad. It was exactly what I needed to put everything into perspective. Just two weeks ago my Thursday run totalled all of 3.5k running - I've more than doubled that. And I know I will be able to run 10k again soon and then 20k and then who knows?!!

And really my run today wasn't THAT bad. I ran 8k out of 10. I kept my HR at a respectable level. I looked hot in my new gear (and I do say that tongue in cheek). And I got to make some workmen wonder, nay hope, if they might possibly be the next victim of the kiss-and-run bandit.

And on a final note I'd like to leave you with a couple of the mysteries of the universe that have kept me wondering over the past few days.

Why is it that when you arrive home and you're busting to go to the loo, the key just will not go into the lock smoothly and quickly like it normally does?

Why is it that when you arrive home you are busting to go to the loo even if you weren't when you were driving?

Why is that your dog who was busting to go to the loo has invariably gone - right in shortest line between the front door and the loo?

And why is it that despite not being able to find a dress for a wedding for ages, you end up with two and can't decide?

Feel free to share the deep mysteries of your own lives.