Suck it up princess!

As I stepped outside this afternoon I was greeted by grey skies and torrential rain.  As I continued walking the rain turned to freezing rain, then ice pellets, as the drains began to overflow and the sidewalks became coated with an icy film.  Luckily, it was not windy and I had an umbrella, my hair remained dry but my orthotics were surfing in my sneakers.  A car drove by not long before I reached my destination, creating a wave of brown gutter water that spilled over the sidewalk and onto my lower extremities.  Just when I thought it could not get any worse, a second car drove by to repeat the whole experience.   This was not my run.  This was the walk to get to the point where I could start my run.  So, I arrived, soaking wet, to meet up with my running partner for a lovely afternoon run, praying that she would want to cancel.  No dice.  The run itself was not too bad, I was already wet, sure, my feet became colder, my orthotics floated a little more freely and the moisture finally penetrated both my underwear and my bra.  But, as seems to be my mantra of late, I did it.  I was not able to run the full 5k, I think we were closer to 3.5 or 4k when we started walking, but, the slushy ice on the sidewalks created enough resistance that I certainly felt the workout in my calves.  Thank goodness for running with a partner, otherwise, I would never have considered venturing out.  As we returned from our run it stopped raining, just in time for us to be thoroughly soaked.  

I came home and immediately stripped in our front hallway, ran an Epsom salt bath and laid in the warm water as I came to the realization that I was proud of myself today. 

Before I even left work to meet her I was two Advil deep in an effort to stop the pain pulsing from my bum.  I lost count halfway through the day, so have no idea how many trips I made to the bathroom, but know that it is two so far since coming home.  Had I not been running with someone else I doubt I would have gone, both because of my butt and because of the weather.  My friend definitely motivated me, but, I did not cancel when I had the choice  Instead, I self-medicated and armed myself with a panty-liner to try to avoid any unseemly accidents.  I think it is safe to say that running is teaching me a lot.  It is teaching me to suck it up princess (or Princess Poopy Pants as my husband likes to call me) and man up.  My initiation into the world of running is now complete; it appears as though I am no longer a fairweather runner. 

pretty. damn. fabulous.

Since beginning this blog I feel as though my creative self has finally woken up again.  Not since I completed my thesis have I felt so motivated to set goals, to achieve something, to produce.  Running and blogging seem to go hand-in-hand, partly because it is my subject matter, but also because running gives me an opportunity to reflect on what I plan to write and how to approach it.  So, every week it is with great excitement that I prepare for my next post.  

In terms of a running recap, on Sunday I was able to complete 3k with some difficulty.  I have been getting shin splints, so stopped about every 0.5k to stretch and was honestly overjoyed to hear the Nike+ announcer woman tell me that I had reached my goal and could finally hobble home to ice my shins; I have been in a semi-frozen state ever since.  So today, with great trepidation, I set out for a run.  I was anxious for the usual reasons (running is torture, just call me poop the magic dragon), because of the shin splints, but, most importantly because I was running with an experienced runner.  A friend of mine who has completed several marathons agreed to run with me, and quite frankly, I was petrified at the thought of it; I had no idea if I would be able to hack it or if I would just drag her down.  I have only ever ventured out by myself or with my regular running partner (henceforth known as Lorenzo).  Surprisingly, it was PDF: pretty. damn. fabulous.  The chances of me venturing off this couch tonight are approximately zero, je suis crevée!  We completed 5k, but here is the kicker – no poop breaks and I only stopped once and that was to stretch out my shins.  Can you believe this?  I feel like a machine!  What a treat to have someone to run with, it made the whole experience so much more enjoyable, we went on a completely different route than I am used to, and, I ran up a hill!  With tomorrow’s promise of 13C weather we are heading out again so as not to miss this spring-like interlude.

This is what my run looked like according to Nike+:

As the weeks pass I find myself feeling more and more motivated in terms of the running and the blogging.  I have received positive feedback in both regards from some pretty amazing people who have been encouraging and supportive throughout this process, and what a help that has been.  It is funny how life can still surprise you, I received an unexpected message from my brother, and aside from the obligatory brother-like digs, he imparted some profound words of wisdom that I have been carrying with me since I read (and re-read) his message:  keep up the hard work and the work won’t be so hard anymore.  What a true gem that one is! I have been repeating those words to myself when I feel like I cannot do it anymore, so thank you brother for the unexpected kindness, you are wise beyond your years! 

On Sunday, with that very wisdom in mind, I signed up for a 5k race scheduled for March 25^th, aptly titled, Practice What You Preach.  This will provide me with the perfect opportunity to test myself in a smaller event before I run the 10K in May.  After today’s success I now know I can definitely handle the 5k and if I keep up the hard work then the 10K won’t be so hard!