THIS IS NOT AN OPTION

My weekday runs this week really tested me on the various levels of "feeling up to it" one has before going on a run. Monday's run was great; it was sunny and 70 degrees, I could wear a singlet for the first time, and I was meeting my friends at PRC to go for an easy six mile run (8:55/mile) after my twenty miles two days before. It was great! It wasn't that hard to be runner on Monday.

Wednesday was a slightly different story. It was overcast but dry. I had planned to go to group run Wednesday at PRC but was offered tickets to the Blazers game that night around lunchtime. Since I already had my running stuff with me to change for PRC, I ended up running right after work from my office. I ran down to the Portland waterfront and did two laps from the Steel to the Hawthorne Bridge. These six miles were done at "marathon pace," so 7:52/mile. I then washed off in the sink at work and went to the game. Glad I was able to fit my miles in. Would have been really easy to just say "fuck it" and scrap my run that day.

My made up five miler.

Yesterday was the really tough one. I was a little worn down from my run the day before and work had kicked my ass. It was also sprinkling rain and honestly the last thing I wanted to do when I got home was run. I just kept telling myself "this is not a option" as I went through the stages of grief pretty quick. It was odd, one second I was laying on my bed in my work clothes, the next I am getting out of my car at Southridge High School to do intervals. I don't really remember the in between. I just sucked it up I guess. I did trash talk myself some... I was bummed because of the weather but it was light outside, 55, and barely sprinkling. Tell January Thomas about that and see if he gives a shit.

Anyways, so I get to the track and there is a high school lacrosse game going on. Probably a good thing, I didn't need to be doing intervals. I did my speed run the day before and I think another hard effort might have tweaked something. So I ended up "freestyling" five miles from the high school parking lot. It was actually a lot of fun! Got to see a lot of new territory and it was fun to kind of get lost but then find my way back. Everything in the suburbs eventually dumps you back on a main street, so honestly I wasn't too scared of actually getting lost.

All told I was proud I dragged myself out there yesterday and just got it done. My reward now is two days off and then a long run of "only" 14 miles on Sunday.