Long Run Body Bliss

For those of you that run - I know you will 'get this'.  For those of you that don't, this may add one more peg to your 'Crazy Tab' stick... :)

Last night I wanted to run.  The weather was mid-60s and perfect.  I felt great and knew that since my hubby was off work and at home, I wasn't under the normal constraints of being home at a certain time to relieve the babysitter, get dinner going, entertain the kids - etc.  I also knew that if I went home to change clothes after work - I wouldn't go.  There would be a thousand distractions by the hubby, kids, laundry, shed-building (my hubby's new past time - more on that soon!) to prevent me from even changing into my running clothes, let alone escaping to run.

So what did I do? - brought my running clothes with me that morning and left them in the car.  When I got off work and got off the train....everything was already there for me in the car seat - and no excuse to back out.

So, in my best 'incognito fashion', I changed in the car.  Ok...this wasn't the most 'planned' portion of my day, but it worked!  And less than 5 minutes after arriving at my car, I was starting my stopwatch.

One major downfall of not going home before the run - no cold beverage to carry :(  So - at the half mile mark I stopped into the gas station and whipped out my 'emergency $20 bill' that I always carry in my running pack and got a gatorade - perfect!

Soon nearly 85 minutes had passed and I was in the home stretch heading back to my car.  I ordered a half-price pizza to be picked up at 7pm from our local pizzeria (which has half off Mondays!) and I planned to pick some fresh lettuce from our garden to have with it.  Dinner was taken care of and I did squeeze in my long week mileage early - 9 miles of it!

Nothing like sitting down to dinner and really feeling accomplishment.  This is week 2 of marathon training and I have to admit I feel great.  My body felt alive, strong, and even anxious for more miles.  As I laid in bed last night around 10pm, I realized how wonderful it feels to be in that 'post-run-euphorium'.  Your legs feel strong, your body feels toned, and you know there is a great night of sleep ahead of you.

The next morning, my body was still in this 'euphorium'.  I walked to the train with my back a little straighter, a little more confidence in my stride, and a good satisfaction of knowing that today I get to rest from my success of yesterday - and eat a great hearty lunch out downtown later....I deserve it :)

Here's to a continued, injury-free, successful training season :)