Do Not Get High

Whew!  I ran 6.4 miles this morning and it took me 66 minutes.  I got up early this morning and headed for the door.  I figured best to get this out of my way so I didn't dwell on it all day.  Plus the cows needed herding, doctoring and tagging before it got too hot.  My alarm went off at six and my completely unbiased reasoning said, "Eah, it's still dark outside.  I can't run in the dark."  Ahhh... my pillow felt sooooo good.  O.K., so 6:30 came and I had no more excuses and I knew that the cows would make my life miserable later in the morning if I didn't get started.  I ran in downtown Blountville this morning, my charming, small, quiet, sleepy, small hometown.

I hate running on the road.  Like, really don't like it, for multiple reasons.  For safety, I donned by neon green running shirt and neon orange running shorts.  Ya couldn't miss me.  Unfortunately.  Fellas, please pray-tell Do tell me WHAT is the big kick you get from yelling at females who obviously are Not interested in being cat-called??  It's 7am, I'm sweaty, I look like I'm in pain, my eyes are darting lasers at the hill in front of me and you idiots hyped up on mountain dew with nothing else better to do at 7am give me that obnoxious "Hey baby! Look'n good! Work it girl!" dumb redneck hollar.  (Don't get me wrong, I love rednecks.  Just not ones that yell at me.)  What is the giddy high you boys get out of that?!  Do Not Cat-Call Me.  Got it Junior?  As opposed to the nice fella wiping his car off this morning with a quiet and friendly "you're stilllll running?"  An appreciated distraction from the hill beneath my toes. 

Since this was my first six mile run in definitely well over a year, I couldn't help but think about the first time I ran six miles ever.  I was in college and my friend Rachael and I took off around campus and we ran, and ran... And ran, and ran.  We ran for 60 minutes and we were sooooo stoked that we ran 6 miles!  We got that "runner's high" and were ready to turn around and do it again!  *Ahem*, well, so here's the deal.  I totally faked that runner's high (sorry Rach) and have never had it since.  I don't get it.  I never finish and I think, "Wow!  I want to do that again!"  Mmm, nope, never.  I'm usually glad I did it but I never experience that magical euphoric sensation they call the "runner's high."  It's kind of like those people that say they just feel yucky and bad if they skip a day's workout... yeah, nope, I don't know what that's like either.  And I'm quite fine with that.  Being a fitness buff isn't for everyone.  So I try to keep my fitness non-routine where I still enjoy it.  I want to keep myself challenged and healthy.  That's all we really need.

That and a little puppy love, right Angus?