Need an Excuse? I've got plenty!

Ok, get a pencil out everyone… there might be an excuse in here that you might want to use at a later date… there are going to be plenty to choose from.

So, first of all I should address a post that I wrote last week… about whether or not to run a half marathon this past weekend. I ultimately decided to not run the race. Basically because it started at 11am and I didn’t want to dedicate the bulk of my day to a race. It’s a Saturday, come on, I’ve got shopping and such to do!

I did get up on Saturday morning and get my scheduled 8 mile pace run in before the shopping. So, no excuses there. Sunday’s 16 mile long run is where the problem lies.

So, Saturday night, I check out the weather and they were predicting heavy rain starting around 7am. I knew that I was going to be having brunch with some friends on Sunday morning, so I wanted to make sure that I was done running in plenty of time to clean up, but now, I had this whole rain business to contend with. I decided to go to bed early and get up at 5am in an attempt to try and get my run finished before the rain moved in.

Good intentions, no?

My alarm clock goes off a few minutes before 5 and from my bed I hear what sounds like the wrath of God on my balcony. Seriously, windy as all get out. So, I rolled over and decided. “It’s Sunday, what do I have to do all day? I can just run after Brunch.”

When I got up at 9 (oh my god, I cant believe I actually slept till 9am! That’s c-r-a-z-y), I was starving and my friends and I decided to do breakfast instead of brunch.

(Got your pencil? Here’s where the excuses start):

So, I had biscuits and gravy for breakfast.(excuse #1) You’re reading this and you’re thinking… wow, that’s a terrible pre-race meal. But, to me, it sounded wonderfully appropriate. I mean, it’s like a carb extravaganza (never mind that it’s also a fat and calorie extravaganza as well).

When I got home around 11am, the rain had stopped and the sun was trying to peak out. It was warm out, so I decided to go ahead and get my run over with, even though it was only about 30 minutes since the biscuits and gravy (excuse #2). Thankfully, I knew it was going to be pleasant outside, so I dressed in a long bra top and running shorts. Woo hoo, my shoulders were finally going to see some sunlight! I strapped on my hydration belt, too. Running 16 miles, I definitely need some water along the way.

“Pleasant” does not even describe how gorgeous of a day it was on Sunday. I mean, seriously. It was like a beautiful spring day. Perfect for throwing the Frisbee around, walking around the park with your dog, or poking around in your garden or some shit. Not so perfect for running. It was hot as blazes! It was 70 degrees and from running in 30-40s weather, my body was sooooo not ready for the heat and the sun (excuse #3). So, you compound the heat with the biscuits and gravy and the recentness of my breakfast, I could only muster 8 miles. Sad. Very Sad.

But, I’m still practicing Guilt-Free Training. So, I don’t feel guilty. I’m just going to make up that run next weekend (since it’s another rest weekend next weekend). And this week, I have to run a 16 mile run either after work on Thursday or EARLY Friday morning before I leave for a bachelorette’s weekend in Isle of Palm, SC.

Oh, and as a side note… Sunday it was 70 degrees and I was sweating my ass off while running…. This morning, it snowed during my entire run. Gotta love Nashville weather…………. NOT (ok, note to self... the Borat poorly timed “not” doesn’t work so well in text).