post the thirty-third, 2013

we've been a bit tired this week. not that we've been particularly busy or particularly stressed. normal busy and normal stress and maybe a bit of a cold or something, but at any rate, we were in bed at 19.30 yesternight. in bed TO SLEEP, thank you. slept right through till precisely 06.47 (damn digital watches quantifying life in tiny increments). that's like 11 hours sleep.

woke up feeling sort of stuffy because firstly, slept 11 hours (bought the girl some flowers) and secondly, the humidifier went out a couple days ago. with natural gas heat, it's fairly dry around old household. ("natural gas" always makes me think of those commercials that run during UT sports - where the voice over woman sounds like she had a bellyful of natural gas.)

so. anyway. tired, dry, snuffly, etc. had some breakfast. time for running.

i set the garmin on the deck to catch a signal while i am putting on my shoes. mittens. hat. pick up the watch and strap it on while standing on the deck because i am going to start it as soon as i hit the driveway because the way i feel, every step needs to count today. in the drive, my first few steps are surprisingly easy. the legs feel good, which is helpful since they're going to have to lug around my sorry lungs today.

down the first hill doing somewhere around a 9:20 pace. muuuuch slower than last week, and that's fine. i am still paying the price for that indiscretion. at the cross street there are a few cyclists waiting for the light to change. i pass in front of them to get to my side of the intersection (cyclists with traffic, runners against) and they are all hey, hello, mornin'... they seem happy enough but lord it's a cold morning for cycling.

as soon as i cross, the light changes, and we all cross on our respective sides and zoom, off they go. me? i am trot, trot, trotting today, thankyouverymuch.

about two miles in the sidewalk passes fairly close to the hospital loading dock where the nurses take their breaks. sweet tobacco smoke wafts to the sidewalk. mmmm... cigarettes are my kryptonite. sure, it's been ages since i last partook, but still, a weakness is a weakness. i never know for certain that i'll turn them down until i do.

up to the corner, down to the next traffic signal. it's in my favor so on i go. i'm about 3 in by now and going up and i don't even feel it. i've been watching my pace, keeping it easy. it's sunny, cold, shadows of treeless branches patchwork the sidewalk. no one for company but my shoes.

before purchasing these ped-covers, i tried on dozens. what i am looking for is immediate -- as soon as i put on a pair, i know. i'll usually humour the salesfolk, walk around the shoes a bit, take them for a spin. but it's all for show because i know immediately if they will work. with this pair i am wearing today, i knew. still, i took them for a jog around the building as advised by the new balance sales staff. while i had them outside, i told them how much i liked them, and i asked them if they'd take the challenge to see me to lansing. they were shamefully enthusiastic. if they'd been puppies, they'd'a peed themselves. while i appreciated their enthusiasm, i had to know if they were up for the hard work ahead. they assured me they were ready and i could tell this was just the sort of adventure they'd been born for - that they'd been sitting in a box waiting for just such an opportunity. i did try on one more pair after -- just a different colour of the same style -- and trying to talk to them was like trying to get the attention of a bored teenage girl more worried about her nails and hair than anything i might have to say. clearly, the blue with neon green piping are the ones for me.

so here i am today, just me and my shoes, and they're being awfully quiet. i ask them what's up and they're like, nothing, and i am like, are you mad, and they're like, no. and the way they say it, i know it's true, but the bottom line is they don't feel like talking today. they're in a contemplative mood, so i leave them alone. there's a lot to think about when you're marathon shoes.

before i know it, i am in for 5 and still feeling good. when you live in a small town, 5 gets you clear across and i had thought to add a loop here and head back, but some quick calculations and i know that's not going to be enough.

i loop the town square and head down to where they're supposed to put in that new park. construction vehicles sitting there could be a sign that park construction is underway or could be a sign that the city is using the parkland as a parking lot. there's a little stub of a trail - .3 in, .3 back - that i've been down a few times. they're supposed to attach it to the greenway, but there's a creek. i don't know the status of the bridge. today the trail remains a stub.

i loop back to the square and still i am short on mileage so i head over to the city park that IS in existence. i am not a huge fan of this park, but it's got a 1 mile trail, and i don't think i need to traverse it more than once. the trail is peopled with grumps and grumps on phones and grumps walking dogs and grumps on phones walking dogs. what the hell is wrong with you people? you're outside! you're in a park! with a dog! on a phone! jeez.

one loop and back to the highway. not the freeway, not the interstate. the highway that becomes Third Avenue downtown. there's no sidewalk here, but the speed limit in this stretch is 35mph so there's a decent chance the cars won't plow me over. about 1/4 mile and i am at the cutthrough.

see, i had planned to go: home to highway to parkway to pike to highway to square and back. i added the two parks i've just described, and i am on the highway. i need to get to the pike, so i am adding the cutthrough which i thought would be about a mile but it's NOT. when i came down, the end of the pike was at 5 miles, so i know i need 9 at least. i don't have it yet, and i know i'd rather get it now than at the end, so i double back.

finally, i have 9, which means 5 left so i recall how great i felt at 5. do i feel that great now? not hardly. i don't feel terrible, but i am thirsty. i wonder about carrying water during the event, but that sloshing handheld drives me batty. obviously, if i am going to carry it, i need to practice. from here my mind wanders to shot blocks, sports beans, honey stingers, and inevitably how speedy could only stomach dried pineapple on long runs. damn.

fairly soon, i have 12. i still think i'll come up short on the overall 14-15 target, but i am out of mental stamina for the loops, so on i trudge. where the pike meets the parkway there are more runners, and the thought of someone overtaking me spurs me on.

at the parkway-highway intersection, where i'd seen the cyclists so very long ago, i have 13, and it's 1.5 here to home, so i'm golden. one long downhill to 14, charge halfway up the final hill to 14.5 and boom! done! walk about .25 then jog the final .25 or so for an overall total of 15 or so. nearly 2.5hrs total time, with not much here to show for it because the oddest thing about these long runs is how little time i spend thinking about anything at all.