Today my 20 mile run turned into the worst 8 miles ran by anyone, ever. I was too tired to run the uphills, and too worried about my knees to run the downhills. So I shuffled along the flat sections getting passed by 80 year olds and women pushing strollers. My dad, who thinks he’s a doctor or something, mentioned I might be pushing a little too hard. I guess I’ll heed his advice to take it easy. My mom, who also thinks she’s some kind of medical expert, suggested LOTS of icing. Glad I didn’t have to pay a co-pay for that advice

[Shoes worn: Saucony Mirages. But don’t hold it against them.]

I signed up for the American River 50 Mile Endurance run a few months ago. Plenty of time to train, right? You’d think…

Excuses for AR 50 (Why I didn’t train) and One Reason I’ll Finish

1. I was sick the month of February. Besides not being able to breathe during runs, I kept swallowing snot which made me nauseous. I’m a LADY I tell ya and I’ll never blow snot rockets!! I also polished off a bottle of NyQuil during that time and unlike Drew Brees in the commercial, I was NOT able to perform my best the next day. I kept weaving off course, probably still drowsy from my double-doses.

2. When not sick, I like to get about 12 hours of beauty sleep. Then in takes me an hour or so to wake up. Then I eat, and am too full to run. So it takes awhile to digest, and then I’m hungry again!! Sometimes I go through this cycle all day and realize that I’ve done nothing but eat, and that’s why I didn’t run…

3. I get discouraged if it’s too hot, too cold, too dark, or too crowded. I usually end up loving my run when I get out there, but I’m so good at talking myself out of things that it’s not even funny.

But I know I will finish because I am so darned stubborn that I won’t allow myself not to finish. It’s as simple as that. Oh, and there’s a cool finisher’s jacket. I WANT THAT JACKET.