Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Run #8.3 - 5K Word Play ~ In Song!

Yesterday I was ready to be a legit runner again, remember? Well by the time I got home I was feeling lazy. Facebooking was more fun. And then I wanted food. My fb status said, "I am a complete lazy ass." Giraffy, did you see that?? As I'm sitting in my comfy recliner watching Gene Simmons' Family Jewels I get a text from her about running. Dammit. She won - I was up and out the door. My 5 miles ended up being a 5K for a very good reason - my lazy ass doddled so long that I had to run shorter so I could get home in time to see Gene and Shannon get married. Aww, I'm so happy! I just love that family!

I really liked what I was wearing. If I can find a shirt to wear under that shirt I just might have myself the outfit for the first of two Disney half marathons in January! (I am just itching to go to Dick's Sporting Goods and load up on outfits!) So I'm out there running, in the dark. And during this entire run I only stopped my Garmin once when I had to pause because a car of teenagers was backing up. I really didn't figure they would see me in the dark, and I felt it safest to just pause and wait for them to go. Can't really blame me there, right? 

From the instant I started running I felt Great! I was happy. I was feeling no pain, stiffness or soreness. I finally just felt really relaxed and like I could perhaps be a good runner after all. My happy pace for a while seemed to be around 9:30 or lower. Huh, when did this happen? I certainly can't maintain, but it feels so good while it lasts! My mind was really busy. I was thinking about all sorts of things - all running related, and sadly not all positive. The positive thought I kept going back to was how a founding member of Team Jam (for some reason "founding member" came to my head last night and amused the hell out of me) texted me and motivated me to run. It made me so happy! Thanks for kicking my ass, Giraffy!! But it wasn't all positive. Have you ever been running alone in the dark and you go by a place with loud, not friendly/not clean looking people outside and they have an angry tone and potty mouths? It made me feel unsafe and I picked up the pace. But then my pace increasing made me feel good about myself - like I could still turn it up when I need to if I'm in a bad situation. Yay! Then my head kept going back to this one thing over and over and over .....

One time last year - before I had even done a half marathon or started training for the first one - a fellow runner said to me, "Maybe you're just not cut out for long distance running. Maybe you should stick to 5Ks." What?? Looking at it objectively I still don't get why she would say that. I mean I hadn't failed at a long distance. I was just building up. Yes, I was mostly racing 5K races, but that's because they are VERY available in Oregon. Why was someone almost telling me to just give it up before I could even try? Obviously it still bothers me a year later. I turned it all around though. Every time this came to mind during my run I just used it as motivation to disprove the naysayers. Sure I'm curvier than Kara Goucher. Sure I'll never qualify for Boston. Sure I won't win age group awards on a regular basis (my one was more than I ever expected!!). But dammit, I CAN run. I can beat other people. I can feel miserable and still crank out a 6 minute mile pace to pass by 4 people as I approach a finish line. 

All of this helped me have a great run! I even opted to go on new streets just because they were UPhill! UP! I RAN UP HILLS!! By Choice!!  I was still Gallowaying it because I really do feel better that way. Yay for JG, he brought life back into these legs!  My run finished off with All That Jazz, the same way the Portland Half Marathon did. I freaking LOVE that song. It has this slow build and so many moments for flair! If you haven't had jazz hands during a run you are really missing out. Just do it, it's fun!

During my walk home one of the greatest songs of our generation came on. Come on, you know you love it, too ... and thank you to Bridesmaids for bringing it out to the forefront again. It was Wilson Phillips' Hold On. NOW with freshly tweaked phrases and words that I created during my run and this morning in the shower!

I know this pain
But are you comfortable with your pace?
No one can change your time except for you
Don't ever let anyone step all over you
Just open your stride and you'll find
It isn't really fair to feel this way inside

Some day some runner's gonna make you want to
Turn around and say goodbye
Until then baby are you going to let them
Hold you down and make you cry
Don't you know?
Don't you know speed can change
The race will go your way
If you hold on for one 5K
Can you hold on for one 5K
Things'll go your way
Hold on for one 5K


It's my new power anthem to shut up the Negative Nancy's and boost myself to run better, faster, longer! In the next verse I have lyrics about not letting tutus pass you by, but that will be saved for another post!


10 comments:

  1. I'm first!!

    I love running to All That Jazz too!

    ReplyDelete
  2. "Maybe you're just not cut out for long distance running. Maybe you should stick to 5Ks."

    I say this to myself all the time. But I give really shitty advice, so I finally learned to stop listening to myself.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Love Wilson Phillips! Glad you got out there.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I'm really sorry that person's comment stuck with you. I'm sure she didn't mean it as a bad thing. Everyone likes different things; speed runners v. endurance runners. I personally hate my life after a 5k. And there is hardly ever awesome bling :-)

    And you're totes my favorite with your fab lyrics. I will memorize and we can have an acapella moment along one of the many courses we will be running soon!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Abby - are we going to do matchy matchy with our skirts? Do we have a vision for the rest of the outfit? Or just matching on skirts? I'm working the outfit around the skirt at this point, until I hear otherwise! skirt skit skirt (I didn't say that word (skirt) enough in those prior skirty sentences) skirt.

    Fred is going to murder us by the end, isn't he!?!

    ReplyDelete
  6. First, thank you SO much for all of your comments on my blog. Totally cheered me up.
    Second, I can't believe a runner would say that to another runner! In my experience so far, I've found that runners are a very supportive group. Good for you using it as motivation!!

    Also, All That Jazz= fantastic running song. I also like Moves Like Jagger because I like to do the fish lips and flaps my arms a bit when I run too. haha!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Fish lips and arm flaps ... that is awesome!!!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Haha. Skirt.
    Yes Fred probably will.
    I like the matchy matchy thing. I'm down if you are unless you can think of something cuter? We should pick a color to go on top. Anything but blue bc I've already wore it.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Awesome song--it might be my new mantra :) People say the most thoughtless things sometimes! When I had to scratch the first 5K I ever entered due to injury, a friend who mostly walks and does a little running once in a while on a treadmill said, "Wow, I think even I could finish a 5K." Thanks for the support there, buddy!

    ReplyDelete
  10. I have been humming that Wilson Phillips' song since last Saturday at a wedding.

    Think All That Jazz is a great song to run to. I am thinking about compiling some 80s music for my next half marathon. We'll see.

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for reading my little blog, your comments rock my compression socks!! ºoº