Patience; the new endurance sport.

I had the best weekend I've had in a long time. So, I'm a little sluggish today.  I enjoyed getting out early today, but was not feelin' it, as they say.  I wouldn't be surpized if I ran 10's. It seemed like it took forever and ever.  Good thing the whole world is 100% perfect to look at today.  Cool mornings, clear afternoon, every leaf, shrub and flower in full bloom & fragrant.  I love the lilacs,and bleeding hearts, the chinese poppies, my hosta is enormous!  I can't wait for the roses and spiria in early June.  They are going to breathtaking. The grass has taken a hit with the dogs, but everything else is coming up according to schedule.   As for running, pshhha. I'm beat.

I think this may be my last running season.  I'm starting to wonder why I do all this running when it's not like I'm that great at it, and the nuerotic energy that has caused me to run all these years is starting to wane as I just realize there is no 'running away' from stuff I'd rather avoid than think about.  I'm beat, and it's kind of over for me to hope for more.  Maybe I can just run less, and slower just as an excuse to be outside, which seems to be my primary source of peace right now. My daughter's friend and my son want to start running with me in the mornings.  I'm pretty sure I could get them up to 3-5 miles every few days.  If I wasn't training for two marathons a year I'd have more energy for that kind of running-- Too soon these children will be gone from my life.  I don't have a lot of things to offer in the way of being 'a good example' but I can take a couple of kids out for a jog and teach them that discipline is doing something you must do, even you don't necesarily want to do it, doing it the best that you can while you're doing it,  to finish what you start, and to count a finish as a win.  I'd like for those younger and more capable than I to pick up where I gave up. 

A word about running bras.  I wear a 32D for anyone out there like me always searching and searching for the right bra.  I want to recommend Title Nine's 'Frog Bra' and also Moving Comfort's 'Melbourne'.   Both are a total compression bra's that works for the larger busted among us.  The Moving Comfort/Melbourne is more comfortable but not as compressing.  I've used both for years, but ocassionally end up buying cheaper version sports bra's I'm never happy with. I'll never forget going to the running store a few years ago and asking the girl behind the counter (who was like 4% bodyfat and had the wiry athletic/anorexic figure you'd expect from a serious runner) who stared at me blankly when I asked her questions.  And then the manager of the store, a man, tried to come to her rescue but turned bright red and turned his face away when I asked if they sold anything athletic with "underwire".  Thanks guys!   Way to make a girl feel special about her over-sized knockers. Both of the bra's I've recommended here are pricey.  But there are less-good bra's at Sport's Authority-- my favorite being Champion Action Tech racer back.  It's not bad, but a little more bouncy than the Frog or Melbourne.  Just thought I'd share in case anyone reading this hates their...'you-know-what's'....as much as I do.  Every once and I while I see a girl bouncing mercilessly down the river path and I just wish I had a few extras to give away.

Josse came over to walk me and the dogs (ave. pace 8:40).  I thought after the exahustion I've been feeling recently that I'd be seriously lagging.  But Josse is magic and makes self-tortue fun and effortless.  She says wise and funny things and speaks of speed training and running a 6 minute mile with the same anticipation and enthusiam, with which I might speak of of ice cream.  When we finished the run and I showed her where I "ice bath" in the cold river during the summer (summer being the optimal word here).  But both our backs, knees, sciatic, piriformis-es really needed one today. So even thought it was still a little cool out, sure! Why not?! Why come to think of it, I do need to immerse myself in the snow-melt-off at 7:00 a.m.!   But, you know, once your feet and legs were numb, it wasn't actually that bad.  And don't you always feel 100% restored afterwards?  Totally worth gripping the river bank for dear life. 

2 birthdays, 1 graduation, 1 wedding and 1 funeral later..... So since Friday noon I have been wearing the same clothes and have done my best not to wreck the perfectly respectable hair-do (that took me like an hour to fix) while I visited nearly every station in the cycle of life in less than 36 hours.  We have had a huge surprise birthday party planned for a  friend turning 40 for many weeks.  Friends were coming from New York & Boston.  Then this week another close friend's son died after many years of suffering with a rare form of leukemia.  Many of the people we saw on Friday night at the party, were the same people that were at the funeral.  This was both slightly disturbing and somewhat comforting. Then a graduation and a wedding.  After laughing, crying, sighing, and then eating fried clams and a t-bone steak, I ran a bunch of miles as it rained into the dusky evening.  My mind was filled with so many sombre reflections on youth, promise, committment, aging, death. I just kep thinking, "If I had it to do all over again, I'd totally skip the fried clams before running."