I had thought about doing the run last evening, just so I could stop thinking about it. I had been thinking about it all day. I knew I would think about it most of the night. The only thing, to be honest, that kept me from doing the nine miles last night, is that I had run five miles the night before. I needed to give my body some rest. After all, I am still recovering from the bronchitis.
Before I left the house, I remembered to use my inhaler. I was proud of myself for that. I grabbed my Orange Powerade Zero out of the refrigerator. I grabbed a Snickers with Almonds from the food storage. Then it was time to get the FuelBelt. I grabbed my fuel belt that still had the three bottles in it. None of the lids were with it. I haven't used the FuelBelt since at least Feb 2011. I was glad I could find the bottles. I was really hoping I could find the lids. It took me a few minutes and then I located the lids in the silverware drawer, toward the back. I was set.
When I bought my FuelBelt, I bought a little pouch that goes on it as well. I bought this to keep my car key and some cash when I thought I might need it. I bought it when I still lived in New York. Enough people knew me back in my hometown that I knew I didn't need to carry identification. Not so here. I wrote my name, phone number, address and that I have asthma and put it in my pouch. I filled up my bottles with water and put them back in the FuelBelt. Then I headed out the door. As I walked out the door, I told my husband where I would be running.
I drove to my starting point. I took some sips of my Powerade, strapped on my FuelBelt, put the cell phone in my pocket, and then walked to the trail. I turned on my stopwatch, hit start, and started running. It was a beautiful morning. A little overcast, temperature in the mid 70s. I always have some anxiety about running outside. I worry about wild animals, not-so-wild animals (dogs and cats), and people that might be thinking about committing a felony.
My fear of cats is that they will pounce and start clawing me. My fear of dogs is that they will chase me and bite/maul me. My fear of a pack of dogs is they will eat me. My fear of wild animals is that I have no chance if they get me, if it is a large one, like a cougar, wolf or coyote. My fear of smaller wild animals is that they have rabies or they are poisonous. I think the fear of people wanting to commit a felony is quite self-explanatory. I don't want to be the object of their felonious desires.
I ran and ran and ran. There were the crossroads as mentioned in previous posts. I get to stop sometimes and catch my breath for a little while. I had never run past the four mile mark, until today. Today I discovered that there isn't a crossroad at 4.5 miles. Which made things interesting. I ended up running 9.25 to 9.5 miles. Today's run took 1:56:00.
I have started to recognize some fellow Saturday trail users. We say hello or wave and share a quick smile. Some people give me a thumbs up. Others tell me I'm doing a great job. It is nice to get encouragement. I have started to practice positive self-talk. When I start thinking that I should just start walking, I tell myself that it is psychological. That my legs are good and they can do this. I tell myself that I have run much further in the past and this is really nothing compared to that. I keep on going.
I sprint the last quarter-mile. I like to finish as strong as I can. I like to leave it all out there. I am mostly excited to get back to my car and go home!
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