Cool Weather

Oh, the blessed cooler weather is back! Just as the weatherman predicted. I ran 5 miles this morning at 7:00; I didn't have the fog that I love but it was cool and comfortable. Maybe, just maybe, the weather will be good for the half mary in 2 weeks. I promised Hubby that if it's hot, I'll walk it instead of trying to run the whole thing.

Every runner knows you need to listen to your body; it's one of the first lessons you learn as a runner. So what do you do when your body argues back? I sometimes feel a little schizophrenic on long runs; my body not only talks to me, it makes some pretty incisive arguments as to why we shouldn't run. Here's an example of what happens when I listen to my body:

Body: I need to stop. You're trying to kill me.

Brain: Good grief, we're barely at the 4 mile mark. You've done this distance a million times. Keep running.

Body: No, this time it's different. I'm really struggling here. Let's go home and have some pancakes.

Brain: It's no different than any other run, and you're not stopping. And when we get home, you can have a bowl of cereal and a banana, but no pancakes.

Body: You're no fun any more. I'm just going to stop.

Brain: DON'T STOP. You're fine. Keep running.

Body. I'm having a heart attack. I'm having an asthma attack. And what's that pain in my ankle? I think I just broke a bone.

Brain: DON'T STOP. I just checked-no heart attack, no asthma, no broken bones. Stop complaining!

Body: They're going to find me on the roadside, dead from running.

Brain: Will you PLEASE shut up and just run? Honestly, you're like a 3 year old.

And so it goes, for miles and miles. I suppose it will never get easy; as soon as it's easy I'll probably push to try for a whole new set of challenges in running.