First off, I "overslept". For me, sleeping in is considered waking up after 7:30 am. So I almost felt I had to rush through breakfast and get ready for my run. But I did take time to apply my new roll of RockTape...
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| Yes, my legs are that white.... |
They say it helps prevent/heal injury prone areas. I figured it wouldn't hurt to have it placed on my peroneal tendon. It wasn't but a few minutes after application that I was already sold on this miracle tape.
Anyway, I quickly gobbled down my eggs and bagel (with homemade raspberry jelly thanks to our roommate, Chris) and I hurried down to the trail to begin what was originally intended to be a 13.1 mile journey. I didn't want to do more since I had the prior week off from my foot. Also, my run(s) yesterday were very exhausting. My goal was to make today's long run very easy on myself.
Then came Obstacle #1: A Fallen Tree.
After the weekend of storms, I should have expected more than mud on the trail. Yet, I was not prepared for a tree that nearly made the trail impassable. I was determined to not let this affect my planned path, so I took it as a minor challenge and climbed over the trunk to continue forward again.
About quarter of a mile later, I encountered obstacle #2: The dead iPod.
When I left the house this morning, I made sure to check the battery life on my iPod Touch since I had not used it since the half marathon. From my quick glance, it looked to have a decent amount of battery left. I estimated about 75%. You could imagine my surprise when the music cut off mile 2.25. I felt like this run could not get any worse.
Now I was faced with a decision: Do I continue with the run or do I turn back?
I just literally climbed over a tree to get this far and going back just seemed stupid. So I took off my earbuds and decided to go forward, promising myself that if it got unbearable, I could turn back at mile 5 to make the total run 10 miles in distance.
Surprisingly, the lack of music was almost unnoticeable. I was more concerned with mud puddles and pace. I hit the halfway point of 6.55 miles with ease. That's when I decided that going the extra .45 miles wouldn't kill me.
When I arrived at mile 7, the trail did actually come to a watery end. The path was flooded from the rain. Satisfied with my distance, I took a break to eat a granola bar, then turned back, steadily increasing my pace to make a negative split.
I ended the unplanned 14 mile journey in decent time...
I could not have been happier. With all the inconveniences, the run turned out to be one of my favorites to date and it taught me to not be so dependent on my iPod. You can easily survive without one. I may make it a habit to lose the iPod once or twice a week.
Anyway, I must start making Mother's Day dinner with Peter. Our mommies are visiting tonight and we plan on making this a good time! Have a great day and Happy Mother's Day to all you moms out there!
Have you ever tried RockTape or KT Tape? Do you swear by it or not see the point?
Ever encountered so many obstacles on a run that you called it quits? Or did you manage to press forward?
Do you religiously run with an MP3 player or can you live without it?
What are you doing for your mother today?
Good for you for not stopping! I'm pretty attached to my iPhone for music during runs (and I get so angry at technology when it doesn't cooperate while I'm working out). But I've never really quit during a run... I would feel too bad about myself!
ReplyDeleteI'm attached too. But I was surprised how well I dealt without it. The lack of music seemed to really put me in tune with the run and my body. It was a lovely experience.
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