I-Ran is not just another country in the Middle East

I ran.  
On a cold, wet Sunday morning, I ran 7+ sucky miles.

I met up with my Run Tampa peeps at 7 a.m. (my running social group), it was chilly and still sorta dark, misty and cloudy at Flatwoods Nature Park.  We get our pre-run group photo, we all set our Garmins and iPhone Runkeepers, then we scatter like roaches.  Some of us (*me*) are doing the asphalt loop which is 7.58 miles, some are doing trails, which can go as far as 14 miles, and some crazies in our group are doing a bit of both, then to meet up again at the end to go over our "great" run.  I chose the asphalt loop - because after four glasses of wine last night....yeah, I could not remotely try to run on a trail with obstacles like roots, holes and sand - and the occasional snake or wild hog.

WHAT I ACTUALLY LOOKED LIKE RUNNING ON SUNDAY.

www.sportscasualties.com

Please take a moment to watch the following video. I hope you like Journey - apropos soundtrack to my run Sunday.   All I can do is find the humor since I could not find my mojo.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nGojEyYBmwc&feature=colike

Welcome back!

Right now, you are either cracking up, grimacing or both. Yes, today I was a combo of the flightless bird and the dandy.  Yes, I do think of this video when I run, and yes I witness this (of other people) on a day to day running basis (and NOW so will you, you are welcome!).  This time, I hope someone was honestly cracking up at me because I was a pitiful sight.  I should have known better!  I am running a 1/2 marathon next Sunday!  And.....I. Must. Train.


Last Sunday, I went for my long run at Crooms, in Hernando County.    It is a little over an hour from my home and I had to get up at 4:45 a.m. to get ready, then pick up others along the way, and manage to get there by 7 a.m.  I did not get my coffee at home so I figured, eh, I could find a Starbucks somewhere along the way.  WRONG!  Instead, outside the Withlocoochee there is only ONE restaurant, a free-standing Hardee's that looked like Mecca to me at that point.  So instead of ordering just the coffee, the smell of fried lard was too tempting and overwhelming to this hungry gal - I succumbed!  I had to order the Frisco Breakfast Sandwich, I was so hungry, damn it! Yes, it was that bad.  My running partner, who was chomping on a healthy banana (and did not share) was like..."I woot nawt eeeth thaw eff I wha you...(*chew, chew, swallow banana*). You ARE running 10+ miles today, you are going to get sick!" I said I was only going to eat three itty, bitty bites. Ugh.  I should have listened.

Note to self: If you are planning on getting up at the crack of dawn to run with a group of friends, then do not think that third glass of vino +1 is going to serve you any good (nor a sandwich with ingredients that would keep filling a cardiac surgeon's AMG V12 Benz's gas tank).  I am here to say, "nope, no it will not."  Although, the wine might help you think your are doing an ass-kicking rendition of the "running man" in the middle of the dance floor, but it will not help you get a good, one-foot-ahead-of-the-other, run.  Err, actually the only run you will get is not the kind you want, in the middle of the woods, paperless, separated from a good working toilet by a decent 4 miles.

http://www.sodahead.com

So my stomach was under attack and bullet riddled like Iran, Iraq, Syria and just about any of those other surrounding volatile Middle Eastern countries.  Screw the knee pain!

I now also have a new nickname in our group: "Frisco."

 YAY ME.