Pushing on a Pull Door...

You know how sometimes you come up to a door and give a little push fully expecting it to open up in front of you? But instead you are only greeted with a face smack to the door because it is a PULL door?

Sometimes I swear running is like that. You go out with the full expectation of having an awesome run where everything just works and it is effortless, but instead you are virtually smacked in the face by the pull door you are attempting to push. *sigh*

This weekends long run was such as this. And the thing is, I SAW THE PULL SIGN and still tried to push the door open anyways. Okay, so let's back up for just a moment...

I work at a Community College and last Friday was our graduation. My office has a pretty hefty role in the graduation festivities so I always work the event. We hold our graduation at an outdoor amphitheater - The Ramona Bowl - that is on the side of hill. Incidentally, it is also the home to California's Official Outdoor Play - The Ramona Pageant. It is a beautiful location that overlooks the valley and provides a stunning backdrop...but it is a major bitch to get around because it is a lot of steps, a lot of dirt, a lot of hills and a lot of sun. But whatever...I also happen to love our graduation and am so glad I am a part of it every year. You see, my specific office doesn't see a whole lot of student traffic and we very rarely have student contact so it is easy to forget why we are here on a regular basis. But when you go to graduation you get to SEE first hand the students that have accomplished a huge goal in their lives. It just brings it all home and reminds me that what I go through every day does make a difference and that we are changing lives, directly and indirectly. But that doesn't mean it isn't a lot of work, right?

The Ramona Bowl

So on Friday I got to the "bowl" at a little after 3:00 PM and didn't get home until 10:00 PM that night and a majority of my time there was either running up and down hills/stairs or being on my feet. I think I sat a couple of times for no more than 10-15 minutes.

And then I went home and figured I'd jump up at 4:30 AM to get ready for a 13 mile run...

Yeah, I know, right? Seriously...my brain power is just ah-maz-a-zing. I got a late start because, DUH, I was freaking tired when I got up and was moving like a slug. I had to run to the store to get eggs, bread and coffee creamer because I was out of everything I needed for breakfast. (Side note: a trip to Walmart pre-coffee and on lack of sleep is highly inadvisable!!) I think I finally got to the bottom of the hill I had to climb about 7:00 AM and the sun was already out in full force. The last two weeks we have been blessed with a beautiful cloud cover that has meant perfect running temperatures. This week...not so much. Not a single cloud, not a single breeze, but I soldiered on anyways.

Here's a pic of the beauty in front of me halfway up the hill.

And it all went downhill from there, just not literally because there was a lot more UPhill than DOWN hahaha.

I tried...I really, really did!! I gave it my all, but unfortunately my all was nowhere near enough. I walked a LOT. I bargained with myself a LOT. I told myself that this was good training for the marathon and my brain said "Kiss Off!" It just wasn't pretty and I came nowhere near the 13 miles on the plan. I got 9 in and it took me way too long to do even that. I was simply exhausted.

If I had been pulling on that pull door instead of pushing, I would have realized that I needed Saturday as a rest day and done my long run on Sunday instead. I would have had all my breakfast stuff on hand so there wasn't a delay there. I would have gotten up bright and early and been out just as the sun was coming up. I could have saved myself a lot of grief, but instead I made it through 9 brutal, grueling miles.

But lest you think I'm all grumbly, I did have to realize this morning that it's pretty freaking fantastic that I still went out and did nine miles on a Saturday morning when most people were still at home in bed!!! I mean, heck, I could have just skipped Saturday AND Sunday. I don't have to get up and work out or run...I GET TO and that's pretty fantastic. It was a gorgeous morning, I got to see birds sailing through the sky, I watched boats motoring along the water. Outside of being exhausted, it was pretty awesome.

This weekend I have a 10k race that I want to really do well at...I'll talk more on this later this week!

Until then, make sure you aren't pushing on a pull door. :-)