Blah No More

Well that was fast! I seem to be back on track.

I'm not sure exactly what it  was (perhaps that mega moon hanging around in the sky??) but when I got home from [a very very delicious] dinner last night it was like everything had quietly slipped back into place. I can't explain it well at all, but I just had this feeling that everything would be fine and that whatever I wanted in life I had the abilitly to go out and get. Yeah. I know that sounds like something straight out of a self-help book. But that's what went down. I wish I could say that I did something specific to get myself over that bump in the road, but I really only whined about it in a blog post and then went and had some wine and a huge meal. Maybe I just needed to change my outlook. Maybe it was just the right time for things to come together. Maybe sometimes all you can do is ride it out and trust that "whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding exactly as it should" (Max Erhmann).

So. This morning I got up early and went out to our run club in Aurora. I thought maybe I'd go for a nice long run but decided on 10 miles with some speed work thrown in the middle (luckily I have a schedule that gives me ample time for long runs on Tuesdays and Thursdays too!). It would have been beneficial if my Garmin felt like working today, but I got by just fine without it. I figured I could run normally for a bit, then run hard, and then ease up for the last bit. Sure.Three mile warm-up, about 4 miles at maybe 6:30 (and here's where the Garmin would've helped - I can't judge my pace at all so I could've been going 6:40 or 6:10 and really not have any idea), and then 3 miles at maybe 7:00ish. Yeah I just made that workout up but it felt good!

Then brunch (I'm sorry, I won't suggest Village Inn again - it was a convenience thing more than anything I swear), then home to finally get a ton of cleaning done, a quick nap, and a second run (6 miles at about 7:00). I feel so much better! Ahhhhhhhh!

I realized I didn't do a race report for the Runnin' of the Green, which I do believe is the country's largest 7k. Yes? No? Anyway. Runner's Roost had TONS of runners out on the course looking too cool for school in our ViziPro gear form Saucony. It was shocking and totally awesome to see all of that bright orange zipping through the crowds! Look at our radness (and this is only like HALF of the runners we had out there):

The course was changed a bit from years before, and was a bit harder. But I had in my mind that it was going to be horrific (all I could remember from last year was hills and feeling like I would die, or at least throw up), so I was pretty mentally prepared for a tough race and it wasn't quite as hard as I expected. I think I ran a pretty good race. Significantly better than last year. My goal for this whole year was to finish in the top three at every race, but I knew this race could be a huge obstacle toward that. I finished 4th behind my super speedy teammate Kelsey Jones. And at first I was really disappointed. But after having a chance to look back at this race compared to last year's ROTG? I feel pretty damn good about it. I was more mentally and pysically prepared and considering how competitive this field can get 4th place is actually really good. What else was really good? How about two of our guys, Keith Solverson and Matt Kempton (my '09 Colfax Marathon victory buddy) coming in 2nd and 3rd behind pro and RnR Denver Marathon champ Mike Aish.

After the race itself is, of course, the giant party downtown. And it's one of the best. The beer line can be nuts, but I managed to snag 3 free ones and then we headed to the Celtic/Delaney's for some more refreshments. And of course we had to dress up for this celebration (although, while our leprechaun hats, beads and Runner's Roost gangsta chains were AWESOME, there were hundreds of people donning kilts, tutus, and all sorts of full on costumes - like gorillas... ask Kyle One and Kyle Two where their beers came from - that deserve major props):

So there ya have it. I'm looking forward to this week and all that I have ahead of me.