Yoo 221 - "...you only do this for yourself"

"It's a good thing you only do this for yourself...cause no one else really seems to care."

Cue random photo:

Those were the words of encouragement that hung in the air from my Gregman as I stepped out onto the porch and faced my run. I don't think he meant it in quite the negative connotation one would first jump to upon hearing those words, but they gave me something to think about as I plodded along on those first couple miles.

This run was a bit daunting to begin. It was my last long run before the 50k, and therefore the longest. I'd slept in, ate breakfast, played around online, and just did a stellar job of procrastinaing the start all morning. It was ten o'clock. Unlike other things in life, there's just no way to rip the band-aid off fast when it comes to long distance running.  Maybe not procrastinating?  That might have helped...

I had planned on doing this run on the trails at Huntsville State Park, about an hour north of Houston. But then the Gregsleeper told me all about this dream he'd just had where I'd gotten shot in the ankle. And, also, I found out that the park was open for hunting this weekend. Which got muh brain thinking, "You know, I could easily be confused with a light, swift, graceful deer bounding thru the forest.   It'd be wise to avoid that..."

Right...

But really, I probably just didn't want to drive anywhere and add even more hours to the run. So I just stepped outside (with swells of praise and encouragement ringing in the background, remember?), hit "play", and took that first step.

Cue second random photo:

It was not the easiest run, or the most enjoyable, or anything positive, really, but we'll try to find the good, ok?

Here we go.  My "Things I realized I was thankful for on my long run" list:

• I'm thankful Houston received 3.02" of rain.  They needed it.  And maybe there was a reason it ALL had to fall while I was running?  I don't know...
• I'm thankful my phone did not succumb to an early, watery grave. I mean, time passes MUCH faster when you're worrying about your current livelihood just giving up the ghost at any second.
• I'm thankful for muh legs (and feet!). I looked at them this morning, realizing what I was about to put them thru, and felt kind of sorry for them. And extremely grateful for them at the same time. So I gave them a little pep talk. And they pulled through.
• I'm thankful I have friends and family that put up with me. I mean, I might be "doing this for myself", but it wouldn't be worth it without the people in my life who support me and who I know care.  The runs can be long and lonely but essentially I've got peeps to "come home to".
• I'm thankful for thinking time.  Because running gives me hours of quality "reflection" time, yes?
• I'm thankful for the lessons I learn from running that I don't think I'd learn quite as well from anything else. Like how to put my head down, keep pushing, and remember "the sun is still above all the rain that's coming down." (at least that's what Josh Groban told me...)  And everything EVENTUALLY ends...
• I'm thankful that life is not easy. I felt more joy and gratitude yesterday during AND upon completing that run than I would have doing just about anything else.  It was worth it.
• I'm thankful that the Gregrunner joined me for the last 4 miles. Ok, I might have, um, "coaxed" him out, but he did it. And it was cool of him.

See.  That was WAY more fun than complain-y Kyoo, right?  30.6 miles of thankfulness, right there!  Today's long run brought my total mileage in the past 24 hours up to 41.7 miles.  Still not sure how I did it, and yes, something is not right in my head, but it is what it is. And I might feel ready for this 50k?  After a good two weeks of taper, that is...

I thought I was going to celebrate by taking a nice shower (though, really, I'd kind of already been showering for the past 5 hours...) and spend the rest of the day relaxing with the Gregman and clan. But INSTEAD, I got to go to the Houston Ballet's performance of Nutcracker with the Gregman and clan. I'd never been so I did not hate that one bit.

Though shoving my poor, swollen feet into these wasn't favorite:

As if the Kyoo isn't bad enough at walking in heels! It's a problem quite compounded for the Kyoo, post 30-mile run. I had to cling to my Gregcane for dear life all night.

But he was looking quite handsome in his new clothes.

So I did not mind that one bit.

Or the fact that there was food involved.  And McDonald's icecream.  I had 4,000 calories to replace, after all.  And those salty chips were like a dream. 

The best part? I STAYED AWAKE for the whole show. That might have been the real triumph of the day, considering my track record with evening shows. But it was my first time seeing the Nutcracker live. And ballerinas have always mesmerized me.

It was pretty swell.

Have a great day :-)