Ms. Nomer

(started 2/22, finished 2/24)
I am guilty of calling myself a "runner" when really I aspire to be a runner. I don't think slogging through a 10k once a week qualifies as an actual runner. I hereby apologize to the actual runners out there for calling myself something that I am not.
yet.
but i want to be. very much. i will try much harder over the coming weeks to earn the title.
as you may have guessed, i ran a 10k this morning along route 14 which runs along the White River. It was an out and back run, and I started the run headed upstream, which is also to say 'into the wind'. Good idea, as it turns out. i was listening to my audiofuel tracks and was in a pretty good spot mentally for the run. i punched the button on Teri (Garmin, p.b.t.n.) and off I went.
one of my downfalls while running is that i have become addicted to Teri's data. I find that i keep checking pace, distance, time of day WAAAAAAAAY more often than necessary. one of my goals for this run was to NOT look at my wrist for at least 20 minutes, or after I got to a certain point on the road. those of you who know me know that I have a tough time turning old patterns into new ones. after about 10 minutes of sucking wind and diesel exhaust running along the beautiful river, i couldn't take it any more and looked at my wrist.

WHAT THE (*(&^%^%*&*^ ^&&*%$#??????  
 
Teri had nothing to tell me. I was in such a state of disbelief that I actually stopped running to see if it could really be true. It was as if I was being mocked for trying to break free of my OCD-esque nature. Alas, it was true. I must have pushed some OTHER button that says Start/Stop. Anyway, I (re)pressed the button, double checked to see that it was indeed ticking away time, and ran off.

Into the wind, my efforts seemed labored. More so than I expected. I was able to keep tempo with the beat of the music, but I noticed (by nearly constantly checking Teri. I swear, i need a Heads Up Display for that thing) that my pace was s-l-o-w-i-n-g. Mebbe because I was taking smaller steps, trying to keep the beat ("feet on the beat. ok, 1,2,3,4"). I just put my head down and kept running. I did walk a few times, for about 30 yards each time, but then kicked it back into gear when shame and guilt took over as my coaches. They are generally good for that, and very readily available, able to step in at a moment's notice. Even without being asked.....

On the way back, i was having a tough time staying motivated. I had no choice, really, because I was a ways from home, and no one was there who could bail me out. Into the Valley of Death........

I made the loop and made sure that I had 6.2 on Teri. Later I went back and determined (with the truck, thank you) that I had gone .75 miles before I realized that I wasn't actually tracking ANYTHING. All in all it was a good run, good to be outside, and I am very thankful to Tracey for making it possible.