Some Days...

are better than others. (Both a phrase and a rather good U2 song.) I have a feeling this is one of those "crazy" days. It started with my inability to get out of bed, which I managed to do just in time to hear munchkin voices emanating from the master bath (which backs up to the girls bedroom and I can hear them when they're talking from the water closet itself and our closet). I finish putting on my running gear and head to their bedroom. Both Ladybug and Angelfish are up. (Oh and I've decided after reading another bloggers post about a bad incident they had with their mother-in-law about how she wasn't good enough for the MIL's son that I am going incognito with names from now on. I'm not worried about my MIL but you never know who is reading, do you? So the children are now Angelfish and Ladybug. Hubby is now Mr. Darcy.)

They're also both refusing to use the bathroom, want water and to play. Chaos ensues, Mommy becomes frustrated at high levels only to encounter Mr. Darcy who tells her that Angelfish and Ladybug are acting this way because I am tense. No, I am tense because Angelfish and Ladybug have been acting this way for the 40 minutes it took you to get out of bed, showered, shaved and into the living room! Further chaos ensues and Mr. Darcy becomes tense and reacts to Ladybug's behavior in what I deem to be an inappropriate way. More tension and a wee bit of yelling. I calm Ladybug. Angelfish is now happily eating and coloring.

Then I head off for my 7 mile run, which I forgot to map out. Ladybug gives me copious kisses and hugs and tells me she'll see me tomorrow as I leave. I haven't done a 7 mile run in awhile, but my legs are aching (as usual) for the first 2.5 miles of the run. I stop and stretch and then start running again. I eat a gel at what I think is the halfway point. I'm feeling pretty good but not necessarily going as fast as I can because whenever I get into a faster pace my HR monitor starts beeping as I've hit the highest HR range. I really don't see what the big deal is for running with your Heart Rate at 160. I'm pretty sure that I'm not going to pass out or anything. In fact, I'd wager I've been running at 160 or higher for the majority of the past year. But anyway. On the way back to the house, I can't remember if I need to go all the way back up the street and back or not. I seem to remember that if I do that, that I'm over what I'm supposed to run, but then I can't remember if that is for the 6 mile run or the 7 mile run. Ultimately resting on the 7 mile. Turns out I'm wrong. I finish the run, come inside and look at my summary for the exercise for the run. Only 765 calories burned for a 7 mile run is not quite right. The time seems right, but then I could have been on the slow side today. I sit down with google maps and discover - yes, I was averaging a 13 minute mile and only ran 5.5 miles. The good news though was that I felt pretty good at the end of the run I did do.

I discover this as I'm talking to Coach on the phone. So, of course, Coach laughs at my miscalculation of distance and says that she could tell me not to worry about it, but it won't do me much good for getting my endurance up. But that the good news is that you don't fully recover within 24 hours so adding the 1.5 miles I was missing a little later in the day will be ok.

Then I was either having cellphone issues or user error. Finally I get the phone to work and I'm up and running to get a question answered for work. But I still have to get the rest of my run in. Plus I'm almost completely out of nutrition for my workouts (the during stuff). Mr. Darcy calls me because he wants to apologize for this morning being stressful, wants to have lunch today and tells me that I really should order my training nutrition in bulk because he's certain I'd save money and the hassle of driving downtown to get it. True about the hassle, but from what I've seen the bulk savings do not really exist due to the cost of shipping. Either way, I still need the nutrition for tomorrow. So now I have said I will lunch (which I would like to), but I still need nutrition and the rest of my run.

So I decide to do my run, and try to do it "fast." It's already 80 degrees out and muggy. My thighs are rubbing together uncomfortably and I realize I needed to re-apply the Body Glide before running again, but have not. I'm not doing an all out sprint, but I've at least stepped up my running a notch for this 1.5 mile run. Done in 17 minutes and 34 seconds even. Essentially an 11.7 minute mile. Watch out you world record holders!

I decided to focus on the positives and also reminded myself that I want to get stronger on the bike before the run because the bike is the longest part of the race. Positive #1: It was sunnier than when I go earlier in the morning which made people's flowers and yards look even prettier. Postitive #2: My legs didn't hurt at all on the run. Positive #3: I was faster on average than earlier this morning. Positive #4: I finished the 7 miles like I was scheduled to do. Positive #5: I felt really good at the end, like I could have gone farther and enjoyed both runs! Positive #6: memories of things I saw on my earlier morning run: my favorite retiree neighbor who lives in my favorite house in the neighborhood and who always smiles and waves (even if on his cell like this morning) while walking his shi tzu (who never even barks at me), and passing a black duck who was walking rather fast in the grass along the sidewalk as though he too was getting his morning training in. Positive #7: when I emailed my paralegal to let him know I was back, he told me that I was fast. I'm not, but it was nice to hear!

So, it will be quite interesting to see what the rest of the day has in store for me. But whatever happens, I'm still blessed to be on the planet even if grumbling a bit!