things todays run has taught me ...

1. A good friend will listen when you speak ... a great friend will hear the things that aren't being said!

2. Hannah (said great friend) has lost all route choose privileges after today's 12 miles as i swear despite the fact we were running a loop, three quarters of said run was done running into the wind (& we're not talking a breeze here).

It's been a while since i blogged over here but well it's been a tough couple of weeks for me with running. So I'm posting this blog both here & over on "Laura Evans Photography" because well i can. & i want to & i kinda feel like it's relevant to more than just running although there are no pretty pictures to share.

Today i didn't have to work & it was also 8 mile day in the training schedule. The last few weeks have been tough, mentally because i have found myself frustrated with many many things, cranky & hormonal. Throw in the lack of running or just plain bad runs I've not been my happy chirpy self. In fact I've taken to hiding from the world. But today i was determined to run, i needed to do this despite what my body might tell me.

So i set off running, heading towards the flight line, praying the rain would stay away & the pulling in my quad would mysteriously vanish the same way it has mysteriously appeared. Well it didn't start so good, i could feel it there, & my knee was a little sore. Yesterday's run was well just plain bad, i made it 2 miles with my legs feeling like led & my mind completely not into it, so here i was not even a mile down the road wondering if this wasn't just a really really bad plan. So i took a couple of minutes, stretched my quad & off i went.

The weather was perfect ... a slight breeze ... a temperature peak for the year at 50 something degrees & it was quiet & peaceful out there. The thing i love most about running round the flight line is that there's not a whole lot going on out there. Yes there's some cars, but they're driving past & not constant, there's a few buildings & well i guess there's the whole plane's taking off & landing thing going on but trust me when i saw it's peaceful out there. & i could honestly watch planes land & take off all day, it still has this almost romantic feel to me.

When i run i run with either someone else or music ... the music helps me to create this bubble i run in. Well he came mental block number 2 as about 3 miles in, right around the spot where we'd had to end our last run out here my shuffle died. It's my own fault for not charging it but here i was left with another major dilemma. Do i turn back or keep going. I turn back & i only have 3 miles without music i go on & well it could be a really long run. I went on because i was not quitting this run.

One of the things that running has taught me is to really listen to my body, it has this amazing ability to tell you the moment something is up & running out there without any music all i was really aware of was my body & feelings going through it & the noises it was making (yeah running loosens things up) & the fact that i still had a long way to go. But i decided to ignore my body, probably a bad thing but no today today was about forcing myself to finish this run. I needed to simple to know i could make it to Vienna.

& so i ran ... not the fastest & not the slowest ... i ran without music ... i ran with sore muscles ... & by 7 miles i found my stride & i couldn't feel my quad & i was stretching out & i had that feeling you get when everything stops hurting. Your body relaxes into the run & all of a sudden nothing matters. & i felt that again today & it felt wonderful & i loved it & maybe tomorrow with hurt a little more running but i pushed myself. I pushed myself through this major mental block i had going on & so it was worth it. Oh whilst today's run was only 8 miles i ran 9 ... again because i can!

& afterwards i had me some fajitas & bought a book & now I'm home getting ready to mat some photos & i have had a wonderful day!

i failed ...

So you know how there are days when you wake up & know that actually leaving your bed is a bad plan ... well today didn't start out that way, apparently leaving my bed was fine it was leaving the house where it went down hill.

So today i didn't have to work so our long run could start at a leisurely hour, where the sun was actually up & the civilised world was awake & doing things other than sleeping. So off i headed, having even had some breakfast (abnormal for me) when i came around a corner to a cat lying in the road, it's tail flapping. Now anyone who knows me knows when it comes to cats some would consider me a little obsessed. So i pulled my car over & ran to the middle of the road (which by the way is on a blind bend) to rescue this kitty. Well the kitty was very dead & how we just say i "morned: it & leave it at that, though i did move it to the side of the road, & lay it down in the snow. & then as i tried to hold back the tears (yes you can laugh & make fun of me) I headed on to base.

It is cold today with a little icy breeze & as we set out on the run (this is the part i kind forgot to tell Hannah) i could feel something pulling in my quad. Just a little pulling, nothing major (i run though these thing & generally believe that it will go away if i do so) ... but well apparently there was a flaw in my plan. See the body is an wonderful thing & never fails to amaze me. It can carry me through half marathons & still sprint through the finish line, & the way it lets you know when somethings wrong is awesome ... except when I'm at the beginning on a 10 mile run & don't want to stop.

Well yes you've guessed it we had to stop ... because this time the pulling didn't go away & with the pulling in my quad came a little pulling in the outside of my right knee & well we made it 3 miles before it was decided that turning round was going to happen. & here comes the feeling of failure. I hate not being able to finish a run, because to me every run is an achievement & i watch my wonderful friend who seems to push herself through everything, has this amazing mental ability & there's me fighting to run through a little pulling in my quad. So we headed back to the car getting gradually colder. & then as the cold really kicked in, & with shouts of "save yourself" Hannah headed back to the car (at least one of us managed a good run) & then returned to pick up the invalid. So now if someone could let me know a place where i could trade in my slightly damaged, 29 year old legs for a younger (longer & slimmer) version i would appreciate it. Oh & they could work the way they're supposed to as well i would be much obliged.

So keeping all this in mind ... running wise i feel like it's been a bad week. & whilst i know that bad running weeks happen, that not every run will feel good it doesn't mean i have to like it & guess what ... i don't! Oh & thank you Hannah for rescuing me unlike the cops who drove past me laughing!