Boldly running where I've never gone before

I am just positively ass-over-teakettle today!!!

I had been so worried about not being able to keep up with the races I have planned for the next few months because of this stupid ankle injury.  Having to cancel the Milwaukee Lakefront Discovery run that I was supposed to do today really took the wind out of my sails for a couple of weeks.  Not only was it going to be a wonderful race — starting at the War Memorial and ending at the Ale House where they were going to pour pints until the kegs ran out — but it was going to be my first ever 15k AND Fred was going to come with me AND we had reserved rooms above an Irish pub.  What a drinker’s paradise it would have been!  But then came the sprained ankle and ruined it all.

Two weeks of overeating and depression followed until I finally got my head out of my ass about 5 days ago and decided to get on with life as best as possible.  I met a woman online through my running forum who has run through all sorts of obstacles, and she inspired me with some really wonderful quotes.  Like these:
“I have to run with the body I have, not the one I *wish* I had. (Chanelling John Bingham there.)”
“Life is pain. Suffering is optional.  (The Noble Truths.)”
“Pain is temporary, quitting is forever. (Of course that’s Lance.)”
“You can’t always get what you want.  (Ok that’s the Stones, not Buddha.)”
“It’s about the process, not the destination.  If there weren’t dragons on this path, it wouldn’t be a quest.” 
What a much-needed dose of wisdom that was!  Also taking her advice that the body heals on its own and not according to a schedule on a calendar, I decided to just get out there and do what I could when I could — and not worry about the rest.  So I did.

On Tuesday, I gingerly ran 3 miles of speed drills, never going more than 1/2 mile at top speed, just checking the ankle out.  I worked insane hours on Wednesday and Thursday, then got rained out on Friday.  But today I RAN 5 MILES!

I ran 5 miles and ended at a faster pace than I started.  Then I went out with Fred for sandwiches and beer.  And then we walked the dogs 3 miles in the forest preserve.  YES!

Yes, I’m tired now and my legs are talking to me, but I’m happier than I’ve been in 3 weeks.  Sargon, a disembodied being who took over Captain Kirk’s body in order to be human again, waited a half million years to escape the receptacle which kept him trapped in place.  I only had to wait three weeks.  Thank God.