Cranky Pants and Born to Run

Sunday morning, I found myself stressing about a lot of things, mostly money related that we'll have to figure out somehow to afford in the future. On top of that, I made some oatmeal and blogged, getting a late start on my trail run plans.

Every Sunday, the running group meets for a 9am run and then coffee afterward. The group runs the same flat river path or bark trail. I was hoping however, to head to the hills for a hard run and then meet them afterward.

By 9:15 am I was JUST getting dressed so I knew I couldn't follow my plans. The money frustrations and being late, made me pretty upset. I considered meeting up with the group for coffee and then doing my run.

But pushing back my run made me cranky and I was already cranky enough so I knew I wouldn't be a chipper coffee guest. The reason I share all of this is because I know it's helpful for me to get others' perspectives on how they handle certain situations. I hope my story can help others in some way.

This is one where I really fought with myself to make 'the right choice.' The perfectionist in me just couldn't shake that I wasn't able to do EVERYTHING I wanted to that morning, in the order I wanted. Ultimately, I chose to to go on my run, shake off the bad vibes and move on with my day.

It was a hard decision because while I know I need my friends (who are mostly all part of the running group) and to be social, I needed that run more.

During the run, I tried to repeat to myself that I don't have to be perfect and in fact, shouldn't be. I shook off the bad vibes and kicked my own butt with 9 miles of hilly trail. And then, I rewarded myself with an amazingly creamy Americano at a cute little coffee shop, Vero and finally FINISHED Born to Run!

One of my many goals for 2011 is to not dwell on always making the perfect decision, but just enjoy where I am in that moment. I think this was one small lesson in me realizing I need to buck up and understand that I can't do it all and that's okay. In fact, maybe focusing on fewer big things will be more rewarding for me??

My thoughts on Born to Run: When I started this book say 3-4 months ago, I started running more on my forefoot than ever before because it made sense. After all, my current stride clearly wasn't perfect (hello injuries). Running on my forefoot more has been a nice change and my calves have definitely noticed the difference. No problems so far.

I thought it was cool to read about people who were able to run with barely no support because their feet were so strong. It all made sense how Vibrams became so popular - and yes, I'd like to try a pair, but not as my main running shoe.

The ultra running portion of the book was really cool. I loved hearing the history of the Tarahumara people and some of the famous ultras (Badwater 100) and the runners who have dominated those races. All in all, I'd highly recommend this interesting, easy read. And I like the fact that you don't have to be a runner to enjoy it because a lot of it is about the relationships between a group of these runners who come together ultimately for this 50 mile race in Mexico's Copper Canyon.

Have you read any page turners lately? My girlfriends and I are going to do a book exchange this weekend in Cannon Beach so I can find some more books to sit on my bookshelves. ;) Have you successfully dealt your way out of a funk recently?

*And in case you missed it, the Ducks lost to Auburn 22-19. The last 5 minutes of the game were pretty exciting, but otherwise it was kind of lack luster. I'm still completely satisfied with the season. It's not often your team gets to the National Championship. Go Ducks!