You win some....you lose some

I had planned today's seven mile run early last week already. Ten miler next weekend and then marathon time around the corner. I decided to do the 7 mile along the canals in Scottsdale after work to try out some flat land as opposed to the hilly courses I run around home.

Well, let's just say I lost more than I won! Geared up after work, took off - first forgetting my hat at home, then forgetting my Ipod in my car so I had to trek back to it to get it because I was predicting a very boring run along the canals on my own. So after getting over being mad I left my hat b/c it was an extremely bright sunny day - I take off. Ipod - ON.....Ipod ON! Check - it's ON. Why am I not hearing anything? I must have the earphones plugged in wrong. Nope. I don't. Check again - it says it's playing...."Bad Moon Rising." Play. Everything looks good but this damn thing IS.NOT.WORKING! I'm looking ahead - nothing but dirt trail, a canal, and the high rise condos in downtown Scottsdale. Surely nothing exciting enough to give me motivation to run without music. (I know I used to not even use the Ipod - but after running more and more and further and further, it is now a NECESSITY). And....another necessity I did not have today. I sat there for TEN minutes hitting the thing against a pole, taking it apart, you name it, I did it all - I even considered throwing it in the canal. Scrolled through thinking maybe this song was the malfunction - Lord knows why I have "The Muffin Man" on there but at one point I was thinking "come on Muffin Man - play - I'd be happy to listen to you - it's better than nothing!" The Muffin Man didn't care - nothing. Dead. Nor did "The Monkey Dance" by the Wiggles. Let's try some Snoop - nope. No Snoop Dog love today. That's it - "Jesus Loves Me." Certainly that one would have to play, right? Nope. Jesus I'm sure still loved me today - but He wasn't willing to express it to me via the Ipod! Maybe it's the Detroit Lions cover I have on it - I ripped it off - thought surely maybe it was causing the malfunction. Nope. No such luck.

Look, Shannon - you've been planning this for a week, you have plans tomorrow - New Year's on Thursday, Kiddos on Friday throughout the weekend. YOU do not have time to piss this run away! I let out a big sigh...a very upset one I must add...and I took off. 1 mile....check. 2 mile...check. 2.5 miles - I'm dying. My body just is not having this run today. Not sure if it was the lack of music - or maybe the flat land considering for the last 5 months I have been running not just rolling hills - but mountains. HILLS. My body cannot adjust to flat land?! Could've easily been that I ran 6 miles on the dreadful treadmill last night. 3 miles...4 miles....5 miles.....walked for a bit - took out the Ipod for 15 seconds after praying for it to work b/c I'm in desperate need. No such luck. The pole I hit it against this time was no better than the last. And for those of you who know me at all - I typically don't get mad. I don't have a temper. Only once have I actually kicked or punched something (a laundry basket, just in the past year, with NO shoes, and I'll NEVER do it again - it hurt badly!). BUT I was soooo mad at this Ipod that was fully charged and worked just fine on the docking station while I showered this a.m.

Only walked for about 30 seconds and thought to myself "Hello, the 1/2 marathon is over THIRTEEN miles, what are you doing?" Take off...legs are aching badly. My heart rate is normal - but the muscles in my legs are dead. Jelly. Thing with the canals is you never seem to get anywhere. Everything looks the same - flat land - dirty water - rugged palm trees - and many a strange people pass by. Have I mentioned that running along water freaks me out? At one point I had to get pretty close to the edge b/c some moron came cruising past on his moped and scared the living daylights out of me.

6 miles....I can see the end. Or shall I say the start? It's a green ugly bridge that stands out in the distance b/c color is sparce at this time of year in the desert. Can I just tell you that I swear that bridge kept moving further and further away today? I never got any closer. I swear. It moved. I'd run faster - it would get further away. I had plans to meet the boys at the Sports store - no time to walk - but also no time to deal with a bridge with legs.

7 miles - at last. I couldn't even run the last 10 steps to the bridge - I was thinking "gee, what if you do that in the last 1/4 mile stretch to the finish line! What an idiot I'd look like!" Didn't care today - I was walking the last 10 steps of my 7 mile adventure.

78 minutes - not bad, not great. Not a win - not a loss. But, not a happy camper about the way what was supposed to be an adrenaline filled, good, strong - quick 7 miler turned into a dreadful, never ending, boring as ever, painful - may not ever do it again - run.