28 September 2012

Celebrating Victories as They Happen

This cold has been kicking my ass hard.  I put off my Week 5 Day 3 run for quite some time.  But then I decided it was time to just do it.  My chest is still heavy, my cough is still intense, but I came home from work, put on my sports bra, laced up my running shoes and grabbed my phone, I turned on the podcast and hit the sidewalks with my trusty puppy.

The first few feet were rough.  The dog was spazzy and had to be talked to and I'm the kind of runner that has to count steps and breaths, to be honest. Without the count, I don't really have the lung capacity to run.  I can't run with chatty friends.  If I do, I will be walking within a mile.  With the cold, I REALLY had to focus on keeping my breathing controlled.  I was tired, dude.  I mean tired before I left the house.  I just kept putting one foot in front of the other.  Just kept counting one-two-three-four in and one-two-three-four out.  My podcast advised I had gone 5 minutes and I thought, "What? Already?" I had hit a pretty decent stride and was eager to just keep running.   Then she announced ten minutes and I thought, "You know what?  I can do this!"   Then my dog saw my neighbor's dog.  And my neighbor's dog (Blitzen) is a badass.  A German Shepard that doesn't much care for other dogs.(understatement)  So Blitzen starts barking his head off, Conner starts acting like an idiot, lunging for Blitzen and I am trying to pull my poor dog across the street with a car coming because I don't feel like burying my dog today after Blitzen rips his freaking head off.  OF COURSE I forget to count.  And I turn on the afterburner and I sprint like two blocks to get the hell away from them.  The Blitzen has already forgotten about Conner and is barking at another neighborhood dog, but Conner is trying to rip my arm off to get to all the spots where Blitzen might have peed.  HELLO? I AM RUNNING HERE, JACKASS.  Anyway, with the sprinting, the idiot dog, the psychopath dog, etc, I ended up really burning up a lot of my energy and my breathing was really labored.  The podcast announces that I have 5 minutes to go.  Shit. I can't breathe.  How am I going to make it five more minutes? I slow down a little. I make myself pick my feet up a little higher.  I take note of a pain in my low back on the right.  I focus for a minute on my posture, check out my shadow, notice I am slouching.  Berate myself for sucky posture.  Advise myself that that isn't helpful in the slightest.  Straighten back and shoulders and soldier on. Keep counting breaths.  Say "holy shit, this is the longest five minutes in history"  out loud. Wince in the direction of a little park, notice there are no children at play and just keep running.  Podcast announces I have two minutes left.  Quicken my pace a little.  Try to plan my route.  The dog has other ideas.   So I turn the opposite of where he wants to go, because I am in charge, right?  Head for the highway. And time is up.  Say to myself "well, that wasn't so bad." 

I've apparently developed some last five minute amnesia.  I mean I remember sucking air, wondering how long before I give up and walk.  I was feeling that low back pain and I wanted to quit.  But I straightened up, counted my breaths and I finished all twenty minutes.

I knew I could do it. I am feeling so proud.

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