These look just like the ones I felt like I was wearing today.
Had a crappy night’s sleep last night. I knew I had to get up ridiculously early this morning so I went to bed early like a good girl. Then, just after I’d fallen asleep, the phone rings. Ugh! I hate that. It wasn’t even anything important. The call lasted maybe one minute, but it woke me up. I spent the next hour or more lying in bed trying to go back to sleep.
I was feeling a bit tired and fatigued this morning as I worked a booth at the swap meet – like, I almost fell asleep standing on my feet. Once my morning project was over, it was my time to run home. I had planned for this. I had dressed for it, hydrated for it, eaten an early lunch and everything. All should have been good right?
It was just after 12 noon when I got started with my 6.33 mile run home. I knew right away what sort of run this was going to be. Someone had apparently swapped out my running shoes. They took my light Adidas Supernovas and put some cement blocks on my feet while I wasn’t looking. Must have been that time when I was sort of dozing off.
My feet felt heavy. Every step took so much effort. I felt like I was barely moving. Just plain sluggish. Lucky for me my run was a one-way route. No chickening out, no changing my mind or direction. This was my way home. Period. So my option was to wuss out and walk it or just keep running. Me and the word “wuss” just don’t work well together, so I chose the latter. Suck it up and keep running.
A few chunks of concrete broke off my feet about 20 minutes into the run. That’s about the time I got to the beach. Something about getting alongside the ocean always helps me. Not that I underwent some miraculous transformation or anything. Though that would have been nice. This would have been a great day for one of those runs where I feel light, as if I’m gliding almost effortlessly.
I just accepted where I was – wearing concrete shoes, working my way home, one heavy step at a time. I stopped fighting it, being bugged about it, or comparing it to my wonderful runs. I decided to just let all that go, and just be right where I was. I looked down at my cement shoes and made friends with them. Fine, I’d just run a bit slower today.
And then, just as I made peace with my situation, a couple more chunks broke off. (Isn’t that how it always happens?) I felt a bit lighter, a bit more at peace, and started just enjoying the great views right in front of me. Ocean, sands, sunbathers, volleyball players, people barbecuing, people getting married on the beach, all the sights we get regularly here in Santa Barbara.
My cement shoes never fully broke off. I still had a few stubborn chunks clinging to my feet as I climbed my final hill home, but it wasn’t nearly as bad as when I started. I even ended with a teeny-tiny burst of speed. I wasn’t too impressed with my time, but I was with the fact that I didn’t give up or get negative. Even better I learned my lesson.
Tonight, and every night from now on, I’ll be turning my cell phone off at 8 o’clock. No more interrupted sleep for me. My sleep is just important to my fitness as my workouts, my runs, my stretching and my food choices.
