Runner's Commandments - Part 1

The list is quite lengthy so I will share part of it this afternoon and the rest tomorrow. I just love reading these every so often. It's a nice little booster when you are feeling discouraged about running.

1. Don’t be a whiner. Nobody likes a whiner, not even other whiners.
2. Walking out the door is often the toughest part of a run.
3. Don’t make running your life. Make it part of your life.
4. During group training runs, don’t let anyone run alone.
5. Keep promises, especially ones made to yourself.
6. When doing group runs, start on time no matter who’s missing.
7. The faster you are the less you should talk about your times.
8. Keep a quarter in your pocket. One day you’ll need to call for a ride.
9. Don’t compare yourself to other runners.
10. All runners are equal, some are just faster than others.
11. Keep in mind that the later in the day it gets, the more likely it is that you won’t run.
12. For a change of pace, get driven out and then run back.
13. If it was easy, everybody would be a runner.
14. When standing in starting lines, remind yourself how fortunate you are to be there.
15. Getting out of shape is much easier than getting into shape.
16. A bad day of running still beats a good day at work.
17. Talk like a runner. “Singlets” are worn on warm days. “Tank tops” are worn to the beach.
18. Don’t talk about your running injuries. People don’t want to hear about your sore knee or black toe.
19. Don’t always run alone.
20. Don’t always run with people.
21. Approach running as if the quality of your life depended on it.
22. No matter how slow you run it is still faster than someone sitting on a couch.
23. Keep in mind that the harder you run during training, the luckier you’ll get during racing.
24. Races aren’t just for those who can run fast.
25. There are no shortcuts to running excellence.
26. The best runs sometimes come on days when you didn’t feel like running.

 

Aren't these so true? I especially love #2 and #26. So having having said that, I was totally not feeling my scheduled 4 miler today! I went ahead and had my pre-run snack of carrots and Sabra hummus:
 

 
Donna and I left a bit late but we left, so that's good! I got in 2.75 miles in a pretty decent pace - 12:00-ish. We were short on time today so I will get 1.25 miles in tomorrow. I was apprehensive about my left knee after Saturday's long run. It was so stiff and even though I stretched and iced it, it continued to be stiff yesterday. Once I started today, it was fine. That made me so happy.
 
I was more than ready for lunch when we got back to the office.
 

 
All together:
 

Lunch reminded me of Spring. It was almost like a picnic - only at my desk. I am so ready for winter to be over! My yummy lunch was an apple and cheese (wedge of Laughing Cow Swiss) sammie, cold leftover veggies from last night (parsnips, potatoes, celery) and a tangerine.
 
I think I will be getting a session of yoga in after work. Gotta stretch the muscles to keep them in good shape!