Run run run it's what we do

The alarm blasted this morning at 4:45 am for run group. I woke up and seriously considered taking a personal day. The run group workout had been posted on-line, and it was one that was easy enough that I didn't have to be there to lead, I'm not in meetings again until next week at work, and I just. wanted. to. sleep.

I decided to go [to both the workout and work], figuring I should save some of my leave and not leave my running friends hanging.

I really wasn't feeling like running, much less doing the scheduled tempo run on tap.
but: I sucked it up - htfu and all of that - and schlepped to the workout.

The plan was a longer warm-up, 5 mile tempo run and a mile cool down. It was nasty humid and warm, and I was grumpy. I started out pretty blah about the whole run. There were also 3 & 4 mile tempo options, so I kept telling myself I'd cut it short. It would be easy to do. But, I didn't. I finished the 5 mile tempo.
glad I did, too: I had a pretty great run and ended up with 9.5 solid miles on the morning.

This, to me, is what training is about. It's about the very unglamourous, the ugly, the tired, the pushing through when you don't want to push through anymore.

reminds me of one of my favorite songs:
it's just ten percent luck/
twenty percent skill/
fifteen percent concentrated power of will/
five percent pleasure/
fifty percent pain/
and a hundred percent reason to remember the name.
[Mike Shinoda - Remember The Name]

I'm off to Rocky Mount, North Carolina tomorrow for a quick weekend trip to celebrate my grandma's 90th birthday (AMAZING) so I'll catch ya later.

Cheers to 90!

Happy Weekend!