So it is a cold and blustery day. Actually, I knew it would be because I live in the 21st Century. In fact, I can (with some reliability) give you a 10 day forecast if you really want to know. Still, though, I awoke and felt a real need to get out the door and run...
Yesterday I planned to do 16-20 miles. A wintry mix the night before had left the trails and levees covered in sheets of ice. Yet I managed to make it out and run on a slick, but rapidly slushifying (not a word, but you know what I mean) surface. At 3 miles out, the ice had completely turned to slush. At 4.5 miles the slush turned to full-on mud. Instead of turning around on the levee, I popped off the end and onto country gravel roads. These roads were also muddy... really muddy... but still better than the surface of the levee.
An interesting thing happened as I ran - and here I use the word 'interesting' because other words I could insert in its place might cause the MPAA to rate this post as unfit for children. So I was slogging along and a large white van approached. It slowed as it passed and I waved to thank the courteous driver. The road, however, was so waterlogged and muddy that a very fine mist of mud (which had been imperceptible from a distance) was being raised by the vehicle's tires. This 'fine mist' completely coated me from the tops of my shoes to the lenses of my Tifosis. It was literally almost worse than getting splashed. The sensation was incredibly unpleasant.
So I completed the run. Well, really only ten miles of the run. I was done at that point - tired of feeling dirty and tired of fighting mud. I drove home and threw all my clothes (including the Kansas 2010 Marathon ball cap I had been wearing) into the wash. When it was time to transfer my clothes to the dryer, I realized that I had left my iPod Shuffle in the interior pocket of my tights. I pulled it, and the attached earbuds, out and it worked! But that was for about 10 seconds. Then it faded. I let it dry out the rest of the day. I'm trying to charge it right now, 24 hours later. I don't have a lot of hope for the device. In fact, I have so little hope that yesterday afternoon, I cashed in some never-used banking rewards points and ordered a new one. Worst-case scenario, I'll have a new one in a few days. Best case, I'll have one Shuffle for music and one for audio books and podcasts. The experience did teach me the lesson about checking clothing no matter how tired I might be. And luckily, Shuffles aren't ridiculously expensive.
Anyway, as I sit writing this entry, the wind is actually howling, and chances of an outdoor run today are dissipating. I feel that, facing a Hobson's Choice, I will likely be relegated to using my treadmill anon.
That is all about running today. There is no takeaway from this post, other than keep running even when all seems to be conspiring against you. Running will rarely let you down.
On another topic: If you want a great book to read, check out George Orwell's Down and Out in Paris and London. It is some of the best writing I have ever encountered. I always like Orwell, but he was never a favorite until I started this fantastic little novel.
Have a great week.
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