Sit back for a long back story. It'll be worth it. If you have coffee.
So way back when I was a kid, I went for a ride to White Castle I think. My cousin drove. He was a very cool, older cousin that I trusted. I didn't know it at the time I got in the car but he was intoxicated. The trip was a little scary. Not the scariest I've ever been on but it easily ranks in my top 5 scary rides (top 10 if you count accidents). Anyway, his decision to drive after drinking forever changed my life. While we arrived safe and sound (I think there was another cousin or two along with us), I have always refused to drink and drive. I have a zero-tolerance policy for myself. Even one drink and I'll have somebody else drive. Yes, I may be a light-weight when it comes to drinking (two beers and I'm tipsy). Yes, I may deprive myself of that tasty, cold beer at the restaurant. But it's something that's important to me.
And before I continue, I hold no ill-will towards my cousin. He made a mistake. We all make mistakes. Especially when we're young and stupid. But I've long ago forgiven him and hold no grudges. I've also broken my zero-tolerance policy but only a handful of times over the past 20 or so years. I've never put myself or others in danger and have always been sober enough to drive. It's just my own self-guiding rules that were broken.
So what does all of this have to do with my run? Bear with me. I'm getting there.
This past weekend the family and I went to a wedding. We missed our annual trip to Williamsburg for the Run for the Dream 8k and half marathon (they even added a 5k this year) but it was family so we went. As expected, it was stressful for everyone. A long drive up Friday afternoon, a hectic second wedding for my sister-in-law, and of course, all the family drama that comes with it. Thankfully we had a bit of free time and managed to visit the Crayola factory in Easton. But at the wedding reception, I was thirsty. Sure, there was water on hand and tons of booze. Like Costco-sized bottles of booze. Literally. They said Kirkland on them. Anyway, I needed something to cut through the blazing heat and I had a Coke.
And that's where the weekend went to shit. Coke is one of my major triggers for depression. And even though I can manage a small glass bottle of Coke, I apparently can't manage a small glass of Coke from a can. Shit hit the fan yesterday and it was all sorts of downhill from there. Nothing went right and I was tempted to just stay in bed all day.
There's still some residual depression today and I know from past experience that it'll sit with me for at least two to four days. Worst of all though is I blame myself. I knew it was a bad idea even as I drank it. I knew there would be a price to pay but I still did it.
This brings us to today's run. Which was okay but a bit of a sufferfest. Humidity is through the roof and it felt like I was swimming yet again. Horse flies were out in the lowlands near the swamp but I managed to steer clear of any major encounters thanks to the heavy traffic on the road. Aside from that it was just my best chance to purge the depression and any remaining Coke from my system.
Weather:
Temps were about 70F. Humidity was 100% (I could literally see the water in the air). Wind was light. Sky was overcast.
Fluids and Fuel:
Two pieces of bacon and half a coffee before the run. Water and applesauce during the run. Recovery was coffee, two eggs, two slices of toast, and left over taco meat.
Aches and Pains:
Nothing really hurt but I'm wondering if the laces in this pair of shoes are causing me some foot pain. I'll need to watch it to see. Aside from that, everything felt meh.
Gear:
Wore shorts and t-shirt. Nothing fancy.
Today's Motivation:
Really just wanted to get something going because I knew yesterday was a shit day. Didn't want to get stuck in that rut of depression.
Naughty Neil:
Managed to eat fairly well over the wedding weekend. Didn't over-indulge on too many things and tried to keep it clean. Yesterday though was, well, shit. But even then I managed to keep it mostly in check.
Splits:
Outbound - 32:45
Inbound - 33:51
Finish - 1:06:36
So way back when I was a kid, I went for a ride to White Castle I think. My cousin drove. He was a very cool, older cousin that I trusted. I didn't know it at the time I got in the car but he was intoxicated. The trip was a little scary. Not the scariest I've ever been on but it easily ranks in my top 5 scary rides (top 10 if you count accidents). Anyway, his decision to drive after drinking forever changed my life. While we arrived safe and sound (I think there was another cousin or two along with us), I have always refused to drink and drive. I have a zero-tolerance policy for myself. Even one drink and I'll have somebody else drive. Yes, I may be a light-weight when it comes to drinking (two beers and I'm tipsy). Yes, I may deprive myself of that tasty, cold beer at the restaurant. But it's something that's important to me.
And before I continue, I hold no ill-will towards my cousin. He made a mistake. We all make mistakes. Especially when we're young and stupid. But I've long ago forgiven him and hold no grudges. I've also broken my zero-tolerance policy but only a handful of times over the past 20 or so years. I've never put myself or others in danger and have always been sober enough to drive. It's just my own self-guiding rules that were broken.
So what does all of this have to do with my run? Bear with me. I'm getting there.
This past weekend the family and I went to a wedding. We missed our annual trip to Williamsburg for the Run for the Dream 8k and half marathon (they even added a 5k this year) but it was family so we went. As expected, it was stressful for everyone. A long drive up Friday afternoon, a hectic second wedding for my sister-in-law, and of course, all the family drama that comes with it. Thankfully we had a bit of free time and managed to visit the Crayola factory in Easton. But at the wedding reception, I was thirsty. Sure, there was water on hand and tons of booze. Like Costco-sized bottles of booze. Literally. They said Kirkland on them. Anyway, I needed something to cut through the blazing heat and I had a Coke.
And that's where the weekend went to shit. Coke is one of my major triggers for depression. And even though I can manage a small glass bottle of Coke, I apparently can't manage a small glass of Coke from a can. Shit hit the fan yesterday and it was all sorts of downhill from there. Nothing went right and I was tempted to just stay in bed all day.
There's still some residual depression today and I know from past experience that it'll sit with me for at least two to four days. Worst of all though is I blame myself. I knew it was a bad idea even as I drank it. I knew there would be a price to pay but I still did it.
This brings us to today's run. Which was okay but a bit of a sufferfest. Humidity is through the roof and it felt like I was swimming yet again. Horse flies were out in the lowlands near the swamp but I managed to steer clear of any major encounters thanks to the heavy traffic on the road. Aside from that it was just my best chance to purge the depression and any remaining Coke from my system.
Weather:
Temps were about 70F. Humidity was 100% (I could literally see the water in the air). Wind was light. Sky was overcast.
Fluids and Fuel:
Two pieces of bacon and half a coffee before the run. Water and applesauce during the run. Recovery was coffee, two eggs, two slices of toast, and left over taco meat.
Aches and Pains:
Nothing really hurt but I'm wondering if the laces in this pair of shoes are causing me some foot pain. I'll need to watch it to see. Aside from that, everything felt meh.
Gear:
Wore shorts and t-shirt. Nothing fancy.
Today's Motivation:
Really just wanted to get something going because I knew yesterday was a shit day. Didn't want to get stuck in that rut of depression.
Naughty Neil:
Managed to eat fairly well over the wedding weekend. Didn't over-indulge on too many things and tried to keep it clean. Yesterday though was, well, shit. But even then I managed to keep it mostly in check.
Splits:
Outbound - 32:45
Inbound - 33:51
Finish - 1:06:36
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