Sunday, February 15, 2009
Tequila Sunset
Today's Run: 6.0 miles
Run Time: 1 hr 9 minutes
Total Miles to Date: 955.3 miles
Thoughts on the Run:
If you haven't figured out by now that I'm not superhuman, here's another little entry.
Our daughter had her first singing performance today at a church. It involved singing during the service (parents invited) followed by several hours of games and activities (parents NOT invited).
It was a beautiful service, I was so happy to see her take courage, standing in front of the audience, and sing so beautiful with her team.
Afterwards, my wife and I went on a date.
Now I knew that I had a run scheduled today. I had purposefully skipped a few workouts (two lifting and a jog) because I was feeling run down and needed to recoup a bit. My rest period was over, however, and I had resolved to begin with this longer run.
So as we drove around looking for a place to eat, I knew it wasn't going to be easy when we finally decided on Mexican. While I did choose a decent main meal (steak with beans) I also munched on a lot of chips, and, well, here's the kicker: they were known for tasty margaritas, so I enjoyed one during our date.
Don't get me wrong, I don't see an issue with having a glass of wine or a margarita, it's just that this was the middle of the day and I had a workout planned. The effect that having some alcohol has on me during the day is simple: I get tired.
So we drove home and I was pretty much asleep in the truck.
When we got to the house, I slowly dragged myself out of the truck and decided I was too tired and had already blown my chance of running: I had a drink, plus I had cheese and chips, so my stomach probably wouldn't take it.
However, by the time I was inside, I had a different thought. I made the commitment, and I should stick with it. If it was tougher because of my bad choices earlier in the day, so be it, but why make a few bad choices worse? If it was bad to stray off plan, it would be really bad to skip another workout. It's not like it's a small run that I can easily "make up" either, 6 miles at this stage in my training is one of the key "long" runs I build my progress around.
So, I filled up my water bottles (one with water, the other with Gatorade), strapped on my Shuffle and shoes, and told my ladies I was headed out.
I couldn't have made a better choice.
The sun was low on the horizon but only began to set just as my run finished. The air was cool and there was plenty of shade on my run. Surprisingly, I felt refreshed and my energy came back to me after the first mile. The rest of the run went smoothly ... while I was feeling a little stomach discomfort during the last mile, overall it was a positive run. I actually felt better than last week and finished at the same pace.
As I finished, I just felt TERRIFIC because once again when I could have easily made the excuse to avoid a workout, instead I took the bull by the horns and kept on moving. If I had "given in" and skipped it? I would have spent the night feeling guilty and regretting that I had enjoyed a nice little lunch. Now I was able to enjoy the lunch AND the workout after, and I have the rest of the evening to relax with my daughter and wife.
How cool is that?
Warmly,
Run Time: 1 hr 9 minutes
Total Miles to Date: 955.3 miles
Thoughts on the Run:
If you haven't figured out by now that I'm not superhuman, here's another little entry.
Our daughter had her first singing performance today at a church. It involved singing during the service (parents invited) followed by several hours of games and activities (parents NOT invited).
It was a beautiful service, I was so happy to see her take courage, standing in front of the audience, and sing so beautiful with her team.
Afterwards, my wife and I went on a date.
Now I knew that I had a run scheduled today. I had purposefully skipped a few workouts (two lifting and a jog) because I was feeling run down and needed to recoup a bit. My rest period was over, however, and I had resolved to begin with this longer run.
So as we drove around looking for a place to eat, I knew it wasn't going to be easy when we finally decided on Mexican. While I did choose a decent main meal (steak with beans) I also munched on a lot of chips, and, well, here's the kicker: they were known for tasty margaritas, so I enjoyed one during our date.
Don't get me wrong, I don't see an issue with having a glass of wine or a margarita, it's just that this was the middle of the day and I had a workout planned. The effect that having some alcohol has on me during the day is simple: I get tired.
So we drove home and I was pretty much asleep in the truck.
When we got to the house, I slowly dragged myself out of the truck and decided I was too tired and had already blown my chance of running: I had a drink, plus I had cheese and chips, so my stomach probably wouldn't take it.
However, by the time I was inside, I had a different thought. I made the commitment, and I should stick with it. If it was tougher because of my bad choices earlier in the day, so be it, but why make a few bad choices worse? If it was bad to stray off plan, it would be really bad to skip another workout. It's not like it's a small run that I can easily "make up" either, 6 miles at this stage in my training is one of the key "long" runs I build my progress around.
So, I filled up my water bottles (one with water, the other with Gatorade), strapped on my Shuffle and shoes, and told my ladies I was headed out.
I couldn't have made a better choice.
The sun was low on the horizon but only began to set just as my run finished. The air was cool and there was plenty of shade on my run. Surprisingly, I felt refreshed and my energy came back to me after the first mile. The rest of the run went smoothly ... while I was feeling a little stomach discomfort during the last mile, overall it was a positive run. I actually felt better than last week and finished at the same pace.
As I finished, I just felt TERRIFIC because once again when I could have easily made the excuse to avoid a workout, instead I took the bull by the horns and kept on moving. If I had "given in" and skipped it? I would have spent the night feeling guilty and regretting that I had enjoyed a nice little lunch. Now I was able to enjoy the lunch AND the workout after, and I have the rest of the evening to relax with my daughter and wife.
How cool is that?
Warmly,
Labels: alcohol and running, drinking and running, margarita, running
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