Dirty Shorts, Kids on Scooters, and Lady GaGa, And The List Goes On...

194 days
45 minutes

1. Knowing I can't run after work, setting the alarm for 5:20am
2. Snoozing until it is too late to make it to gym before work
3. Squeezing in a run anyway...but not at the usual time
5. Favorite shorts...dirty
6. Tying shoes about 12 times because they are either too loose or too tight
7. Gnats in the mouth
8. iPod Shuffle not so "shuffle-y"
9. Kids on scooters all over the trail
10. Kids' moms power walking (do people still do that?)
11.Same moms not paying attention to the fact that if this kid doesn't scoot over then the guy on the bike going 90 mph straight for me might in fact kill me.
12.Needing to stop for a quick gulp of water but not able to because a couple of desperate housewives are talking plastic surgery over the water fountain
13.Being jealous of the guy running past me doing the air drums (I love that zone where the music is literally moving your body faster)
14.Having to fart really bad but too many kids on scooters around
15.Finishing a run that was not as far or fast as the last

This list represents some of the cons I have experienced when running outside. On today's run I was lucky enough to experience every item on the list. I was more tense when I finished than I was before I started. The only time I actually felt as though my mind and body had let go was the walk home.

Every run is different. The same five miles is rarely "the same five miles". This is a hard concept for someone who lives for a routine...the same routine. If I could have every run like my run yesterday I would be so happy. But that isn't how it works. Today's run was hard and frustrating. During the marathon, when I encounter things that are not a part of my routine, I need to focus, clench my fists, and keep going...keep running.

Three Songs That Made My Run More Reale:

"Poker Face" Lady GaGa
"Poker Face" Lady GaGa
"Poker Face" Lady GaGa

(#8. iPod Shuffle is not so "shuffle-y")