Three Things Thursday: Make my day

This morning did not have the makings of a good morning. I went to bed early but slept poorly and felt less than rested when the alarm went off at 4:40 a.m. My back was tight from my adjustment at the chiropractor, and my legs felt heavy. All I wanted to do was curl up in bed and sleep till the ungodly hour of 7 a.m.

But there were things to do.

Like running 12 miles.

1. Miles and I are going to Cincinnati this weekend. The last time I visited, I saved my long run for Sunday evening and it promptly turned into an epic fail.  I was certain that I didn't want to go through that again, especially after Sunday's not-so-long run, and decided that my 12-miler would happen today. I originally thought I might sneak it in after work but with temperatures creeping near 80, I knew it would be in my best interest to do it this morning.

And so I did.

It was my best run by any stretch of the imagination but it was a run and it was completed. More importantly, I feel like I crossed one big giant to-do off my list. From here on out, my Columbus Marathon training is full of 3- and 4-milers with one 8-10 miler next weekend. The hay is in the barn, and the barn door is locked.

2. I was a quarter-mile from home when Miles and I needed to cross a somewhat busy street to get to our block. As luck (or good planning) would have it, we cross near a school and there's a crossing guard there from 7 a.m. to 8 a.m. I feel a sort of kinship with her as she's helped us cross many a times - last fall when we were mostly walking, in the spring as I trained for the Martian half and now as I wrap up Cbus. As I darted across, she said, "You sure did lose a lot of weight. Nice job!" I see myself every day and still get wrapped up in my flaws (another post, another day) so it was good for me to hear from someone who doesn't have to be nice to me to be, well, nice.

The comment is one of two favorites I've gotten over the past week. Last Friday, I ran Miles to my mother-in-law's house, and a man (in an awesome polyester, 1990s track suit) said, "I wonder what you would do if you had another arm." I assume it was that I was doing a pretty good job corralling the beast (Denali) and the beast (Miles).

Oh, and if I had a third arm/hand, I'd be drinking coffee as I ran. For the record.

3. I've been (not so) patiently waiting for the official race photos from Fort4Fitness, and I have found myself stalking the Action Sports Images page. Multiple times a day. While the photos aren't searchable by bib number, there are some shots of the homestretch for browsing. I was hoping to see me ... no luck. And then I was hoping to see MIL+FIL+Miles ... still no luck.

But I did see these.

The joy ... the heart .. the accomplishment ... I can feel it radiating from the photos. These women are amazing and inspiring. I hope someone tells them that today.