Out the Door and Down the Hill

I was so tempted this morning to postpone my run to this afternoon when I would have "more time," an excuse I use frequently. As I was feeding my daughter, Sophia, early this morning I calculated the amount of time I had before we would have to pack everyone (Mark, Sophia and I) up (a process that used to take a few brief moments and now takes at least a half hour) and head off to church. If I left the house at 8:30 I would have enough time for a quick run, a shower and just enough time to feed Sophie again before leaving. But even with my calculations so much of me wanted to stay in my pajamas, partake in the breakfast Mark was cooking and relax before church. I argued back and forth with myself while feeding Sophie then decided just to do it and not wait for the afternoon--I'm so glad I didn't. By the time church finished at 1pm a light rain was already falling, on the way home it turned to a snowy mix. Yuck!

So what got me out the door when so much of me wanted to stay inside? I pictured myself all bundled up in my running gear, running down the Sunday-morning-quiet Main Street. In my mind's eye I am always fast, gliding over the pavement; the running is easy.

And today it was, at least for the first mile or so. My route today took me up Paulson Road, a short hilly road off of Main Street that provides a nice loop back to my house. The hills on Paulson are really the first I have run so far; Spring Street is relatively flat as are many of the other roads in town. I ran slowly and steadily (aka plodded) up the first hill, a short incline which is a poor indicator of the steep down hill that follows. In times past, when I have run this hill I've always used the long, steep downhill after it as a way to gain momentum for the next hill, but today I found I could do no such thing. It was too painful. The "bounce" was too painful--despite the fact that I'd nursed Sophie before I left. Instead of being a momentum gainer, the downhill sucked the momentum right out of me; I slowed to jog, keeping me feet as close to the ground as possible: to minimize the "bounce." Gravity is certainly no friend of my chest. The next time I plan to do a run with hills in I might have to wrap myself in duct tape, or invest in a better sports bra.

Run: Paulson Rd. Loop

Time: 31:10

Distance: about 3 miles