Ignoring the Siren’s Call

Tuesday’s Run (10/05/10)

My least energetic moment of the day is the second I cross the threshold into my own home after a normal work day.  I can feel all the horizontal surfaces calling me to lie down on them—the couch, the bed, the floor.  Sometimes I heed the siren’s call, and I take a little rest before resuming the evening’s activities.  Wait, did I say sometimes?  Make that often.  Or instead of lying down, I’ll sit down with a snack and my computer, and I’ll catch up on the day’s news in blogland.  Finally, relaxed and refueled, I’ll head out on my run or I’ll cook dinner or I’ll run errands.

Some evenings, though, I make it a goal to get in and get out right away.  Tuesday was one of those evenings when I didn’t want to lose a moment to dilly-dallying.  I had big plans: run, dinner, blog, roast pumpkin, in that order.  Ignoring the siren’s call, I headed out right away on an easy 20-minute run, just an out-and-back path to get my legs moving and my lungs pumping.  I was still a little sore from Sunday’s furniture excitement, but I felt pretty good during the run.  There was a persistent stitch in my right side which I kept under control with a technique I picked up somewhere: contract your abs, then breathe out, hard.  Do this a few times and usually the stitch (muscle cramp, I believe?) will relax a bit.  It might not go away completely, but it will be less painful.

Despite the stitch, I had a great run.  It was so nice to be out there, cruising along, enjoying the sensation of moving faster, powered by my two feet.  Speaking of which, I probably should have worn flats today, but I really like my new heels, which you can see in the first photograph.  I like them too much not to wear them; a little toe pain might be the price I pay for my vanity.  But my running shoes are much more comfortable.  Brooks, I run happy because of your shoes!