The Meltdown Run, With Cheryl and Ethan.

Running is a great way to exercise your inner demons.   And by exercise, I mean bring it out,  acknowledge it, and show it who is boss.    However,  there are moments when your emotional self wins…..today was one of those days.

I’m not sure what to blame;   the weather,  the 5K yesterday, the hills.   They all add up on some level.   The Wind was HUGE 25 MPH gusts.   and by gusts I mean only when we are traveling uphill.

The Cloud cover was nice, keeping the hot sun off of us for the majority of the run.  But there was a good chance of showers and thunderstorms that we feared could hit at any moment.  That uncertainty and fear comes from prior knowledge of Iowa and how quickly a squall can pop up and drown you. 

And then there was the tiny fact that we planned on running 20 miles today.   20 MILES!    No big deal really…just 6.9 miles farther than the half marathon.   We practically run  6.9 miles every day!   What could be the harm in adding it onto the long 13.1 mile weekend run? 

Oh if words could describe….

Running is great,  I get to see another side of Cheryl I rarely ever see.   She is so controlled and focused on her runs and in life…for the most part.

  But today, I was able to see the OTHER Cheryl…..the one she has hidden in a box deep within the recesses of her mind.   Chained to a floor in a dark deep  dungeon.    It’s …..kind of scary.

I could go off on the details of the run, but really…are they really That Important?  The Bottom line is we only ran 18.44 miles….A NEW RECORD!…for distance…and sanity.  At one point,  Cheryl simply laid down in the grass.   Previous to this, her form, which I often compliment her on, looked like an old lady with osteoporosis.  Throw in the fact that she was down right hostile,  over the smallest of things.  I could not ask her any questions,  sing any songs, joke about her condition,  Joke about the weather, or touch her on the head…..Crazy right?  

Seeing Cheryl unhinged was like seeing a unicorn…only way worse.    With a unicorn,  you ask,” Am I dreaming?”   With Cheryl at the 15 mile mark, you say,  “This is a nightmare!” 

  So we ended up “setting a record” for the longest distance….Wanna know the time?  3 hours 20 minutes!   That is kind of bad….. NOT what we want to achieve with Grandma’s Marathon and DEFINATELY NOT a Boston Marathon Qualifying time. Good thing we have 2 more months before the Marathon.  The Garmin Report is almost funny…..We pluck right along for 13 miles…then BOOM!   The Hammer Falls. 

As for me,   I was on the bike most of the time.   I was SO looking forward to biking 20 miles today….But even I had issues….Like I developed a blister on my palm.  I had to listen to Cheryl snap at me.   And , most devastating of all….I could not sing or talk….or whistle …

So perhaps the 20 mile run was a little too ambitious.   Maybe Cheryl was to confident after setting a new 5K record and getting a medal.  Maybe the Weather and my singing were a little too ‘ Distracting” .   But I choose to look at the half full side of the glass.   We found the limits of Cheryl’s Mental Control,  AND her current physical capacity.  These are good to know as we build up to the 26.2 mile Marathon.  And as for the time?….Well, that should be Easy to get a new personal best with that time…..”Don’t start off with the bar too high.”  I always say.  Weakness is pain leaving the body.  There is I in team, but there is a U in Suck. (Don’t you just love Sports Cliché's?)

So there it is. Cheryl and Ethan’s 18.44 mile run…The first EVER!   With Records set in distance AND time…..So our next goal should be 18.45 miles UNDER 3 hours and 20 minutes.  I’m looking forward ( in a cautious way) to when we can  regain Cheryl’s confidence AND ego…and maybe do a better job running that far.  We shall see.