It can be a good thing. It can be a bad thing. When darling daughter gets determined and resists coming back to her cooperative side I can get frustrated but deep down, I see strength there. That same determination that may be driving me nuts is the same determination that drives my running goals.
And it took every ounce of determination to turn my goal of 18-20 miles into 21 miles.
My alarm went off at 4:30 am and as much as I didn't want to get out of bed I knew I had to. If I wanted to get that long run done that I dreamed of I had to start early. Postponing things never works for me.
I climbed out of the warmth of the covers, got into my running clothes that were already laid out on the treadmill, and put some peanut butter on a couple of graham crackers. I ate those and drank some soymilk as I laced up my shoes. I grabbed my bottle of VegaSport Hydrator out of the fridge and headed over to the treadmill. I turned on the fan nearby and started my run as quietly as I could. Darling daughter stirred on the couch bed beside me. We had a special slumber party night the night before. She said, "Mommy, get up!" She saw I was up and said, "oh, you are up. Good night." and snoozed some more. She knew my crazy plan. 10 miles at home. 10 miles at the gym.
After some time she did wake up and started crafting. When she was hungry she made herself a bowl of cereal and is loving that she can pour her own milk. I pointed out cardinals and a finch that were coming to the bird feeders she made. I ran on. She played. 10.19 miles done. About 2 hours of running. Time for phase 2.
I hopped of the treadmill, did a quick batch of dishes washes, put a load of laundry in the wash, and ate a dairy free brownie and rinsed it down with the rest of my Hydrator. My only fuel during my run was the drink so I needed some energy to go on.
We got to the gym and my determination was tested. The child care attendant was late and after waiting over 15 minutes I got darling daughter cozy in a corner with my phone (she loves playing Hay Day) and I started running. I thought this was going to be a short phase. It lasted 4.68 miles. I did take a Hammer Gel, courtesy of a dear friend, and it went down nice at about mile 3. My only other fuel was more VegaSport Hydrator but diluted since darling daughter's sip was bigger than I thought it would be.
At that 4.68 mark I was informed child care staff was on site. I moved darling daughter into a better care position - always better to be able to run and play - and after a prolonged check-in period, got my butt back on the treadmill with tunes now! Yippee!
Thing is, the phone started toying with me at the start. It asked about voice control. I said no and ran on. It behaved until the end of the run when it kept stalling in attempts to turn on voice control. I kept saying no. It kept trying. I wondered what I was inadvertently hitting.
Darling daughter had suggested I ran an extra mile when I told her I only had just over 5 miles to do when I got her settled into child care. I didn't think I would have it in me. I did. Final count - 21.05 miles. The final leg was 6.18 miles.
Finishing that run put a HUGE smile on my face. I am not a big proponent of breaking up my long runs. The break between part 1 & 2 was about 1 1/4 hours. The break between part 2 & 3 was about 5 minutes. And all in all, I am so glad I did it and I am glad I tacked on the extra mile. It kinda makes me feel better about doing my long run on treadmills.
Post run fuel: VegaSport protein drink as I was out of my Recovery Drink stash. I ate a couple of animal crackers for carbs but was LOVING the pumpkin seeds. Something about that salty yumminess made my heart sing!
Daily Gratitude: I am thankful for the support of the staff at my gym because without it, my long run may have been cut short. I seriously doubt my determination to get back on that incline treadmill later in the day.
Daily Affirmation: My determination makes me strong and I am setting a great example for my daughter.