an ugly run is still a run

It was an ugly, ugly run morning.

First, I didn't want to get out of bed.  REALLY, REALLY didn't want to.  Took some serious pushing to get me up and dressed and out the door, and all along, I was trying to find reasons not to run.

Then my foot thought it might hurt.  But I stopped and loosed the laces, and that helped, much to my wanting-to-go-back-to-bed disappointment.  

The air was thick and muggy...felt like it added 20 pounds to me.  Talk about resistance. 

The street I take out to 30th is worse than any sidewalk, with its many broken layers and potholes. I tripped.  I did not fall.  That's good, because I might have come back home to bed, had I hit the ground less than a mile from home. 

Usually I don't get terribly sweaty until sometime during the 2nd mile.  I was wiping sweat frantically (to keep it from running into my eyes) within less than half a mile, and that never got better. 

The gnats were having a heyday.  Flying in my eyes, up my nose, buzzing in my ears.  I swallowed a few that I couldn't spit out.  Then one flew right into my throat, hitting a sensitive spot that sent me straight to gagging and retching.  This continued for most of mile 2, no matter how much I cleared my throat.  My body went into "producing mucous to repel it" mode, hardcore.  I finally had to blow my nose with my little mesh reflective vest, to avoid actually throwing up.  I was starting to panic - Augustana hill is early in mile 3, and I knew if I kept gagging like that while breathing harder, there WOULD be hurling.  Happily, it cleared up just before I turned the corner to go up the hill.  

Only one of my 5+ miles was at a pace under 17 minutes this morning (ironically, the "fast" mile was the one where I was retching and gagging).  You might say my butt was dragging.  I was one big body ache by the time I got home.

Still, in the end, I did it. I chose love - movement, perseverance, consistency, when I could have just given up.  

That is the value of learning to love my body, right there.  

And that will pay off, come Bix day!