Ah, the weekend. Time for some much needed rest and a hardy breakfast.
There are a few things I enjoy more in life than a simple breakfast of bacon and eggs. The aroma that surrounds the house and the crackle of fat frying in the pan are two things I love. On a good day, I could enjoy a pound of bacon, three fried eggs, and guzzle a cup of coffee without thinking twice.
Fortunately, today wasn't one of those days. Instead, I settled for a half a pound of bacon and two eggs. I still enjoyed the cup of coffee and soaked things up with a piece of toast.
After finishing my masterpiece, I did what every highly intelligent individual would do. Sit on the couch? Read the paper? Nay, I say. I went running.
With the chemo and its effects, I'll be the first to admit I haven't been running that much - once maybe twice a week, if I'm lucky. I've been doing the Winter Series races, but that is about it. Factor in my (low) participation in my P.E. classes and I'm lucky if I net five miles a week.
Anyways, on to today's run!
It started off great. A beautiful, snow-kissed morning with no wind. I settle immediately at an 8:00/mile pace and cruised through the alleyways. I didn't have a set destination or mileage planned. I just wanted to get out. I figured anywhere between three and five miles would suffice.
The first mile went without a hitch. Breathing was slightly fast, but the cadence of my feet felt great and my heart wasn't pounding out of my chest. The roads were clean, and not much traffic to boot!
Working my way towards mile two, I decided to go on the low end of my three to five BUT ONLY if I could negative split. I increased my foot turnover, focused on my stride, and told myself I was okay. Then it happened. It started as a tickle, then a need to cough. Only it didn't feel like the mucous filled loogie that I usually hock up. It burned and tasted terrible.
Now don't get me wrong. I've spewed before, during, and after races a decent amount of times. It is never pleasant. But, it is something that I have grown accustomed to. I still hate dry heaving though. It's just this time, the acidity of the coffee and subtle smokiness of the bacon hit me hard.
My pace wavered. I gulped hard. Not today! I haven't puked once since chemo and today wasn't going to be that day! Onward! -0:10 seconds. Let's do this!
Mile three was a little more gross. I had to switch to the sidewalk, so I got mixed up in some wonderful slush. There was also a lot of debris and too much traffic to bounce out into the road. However, I still needed that negative split! PUSH!
Whoops, there's that feeling again. GULP! Not today, hombre. Downhill, let's make up some time. I started to crank my legs a bit faster. Respiration elevated. Stomach camp! Focus on breathing. Cramps gone, bacon is back. GULP! As my daughter would say, "That's disgusting!"
The next two minutes were like shampooing directions - lather, rinse, and repeat. Only this time it was run, swallow puke, continue.
Finally, I hit the three mile mark. Initially, I was supposed to slow down and glide home as a cool down. Pshht! That's what sissies would do. I glanced at my watch, pushed the pace harder, and slowly increased my speed for the remaining half. At the peak, I was back at my old 10k pace - 6:20ish!
Overall, I felt great! If I had the option to do it again, I definitely would.
Isn't it weird how something so gross can make you feel so good. It's great to be alive again :)
