Donald's Better Self

Well, as you can see by the date on this post I did choose to wait for Sunday to do my long run. We returned home from the reception about 11:00pm and I did not feel like running the trails and sidewalks until 1:00am. (Though I have done that) The reception was very nice. It was held at the Iowa Historical Center. The museum was open to all the guests throughout the night. Fabulous food, catered in by a popular Italian restaurant named Barattas.

Today’s run was somewhat of a mental struggle. As I set out today, contrasting thoughts kept popping in and out my head. I pictured Donald Duck in “Donald’s Better Self” (One on my favorite DD cartoons) It really fit my thought process well. If you have not seen it, you have most likely seen the concept used elsewhere. The saintly version of ones self resting on one shoulder cheering you on and offering support. While on the other shoulder rests a version representing self doubt and temptation. In Donald’s case it was about getting out of bed and heading to school. For me it was about keeping my legs in motion.

Here is how it went.

.50 “Nice warm up, ready to jog?”
.75 “Watch your pace. You’re training for a marathon not a sprint.”
1.9 “Calves are starting to burn huh? You should really slow down. Walk awhile.
2.3 “Are you serious? Go ahead walk a little. No big deal.”
4.0 “Aren’t you glad you pushed through that? You’re loosening up. This will be a good run.”
5.2 “Ha! You thought your Garmin was going to read mile six, discouraging isn’t it?”
6.0 “Glad you did not listen to him, he’s full of hot air. You’re doing swell.”
7.0 “Nirvana, You feel great. Breathing, legs, pace, all good.”
7.8 “There’s a hill coming.” “That’s not a hill it’s a mountain, your legs are gonna burn.” “Oh pipe down, it’s just a hill and we’ve been here before.”
8.5 “Hey Slim Whitman, What’s he doing on your Ipod? Pardon me while I sing along. una paloma Blanca, I’m just a bird in the sky” “Oh brother!” "Oh have some fun will you?” “Oh alright, but just during this song “una paloma Blanca”
9.2 “Songs over, your legs hurt.” “That’s a lie they do not! Keep moving forward!”
9.8 “Walls coming. Remember 06? Hahaha.”
10.2 “Walls come down.” “Spoil sport.”
11.0 “One more mile and you can walk out the rest.” “You should quit now.”
11.5 “I told you your legs hurt. Just try to keep going.”
12.0 “You did it! Now walk it off.”
12.6 “Hey your home. Way to go!”

Well that pretty much sums up today’s experience, except for updating the running to Disney maps. But first a couple mentions. You guys should be aware that Craig and Kristin crossed state lines this past week. Congrats go out to them. Keep up the good work over there and stay healthy. And Deb is within weeks of receiving her Darkwing medal. How cool is that?

I reached 108.88 miles this month. The last time I broke 100 was in November. I too crossed over to another state. I am currently just outside Hannibal Missouri, near the town of Palmyra. I thought it might be fun to learn about towns along the way. Here is link about Palmyra. http://www.greatriverroad.com/hannibal/palmyra.htm

I am hoping to make it to St. Louis by the end of April. Roughly 130 miles.