Saturday, June 28, 2008

Satisfaction!

Many of you know this already, but I'll admit it here, directly, for the first time in this blog...

I have some control issues.

I know, I know, you're not surprised...I'm not sure why it took me so many years to discover that running is a great way for me to manage some of my control issues...but I'm glad I did. It is making me a much more sane person.

In addition to the running, I have many ways of mitigating the effects of my extraordinary desire to control all situations. One of my management techniques is that I prefer to be the person who drives the car. I'm a horrible back seat driver (This is especially true when Walter drives because he prefers to wait until he is within THREE FEET OF ANY STOP SIGN BEFORE HE HITS THE BRAKE! This makes me CRAZY and frequently it causes me to STOMP MY FOOT in the floor of the passenger side of the car, as if the mere action of me stomping my foot is ENOUGH TO STOP THE CAR! which it isn't of course, but it makes me feel as if I'm doing SOMETHING to avoid hitting the CROSS TRAFFIC...and since we've never actually HIT the cross traffic, I figure that my foot stomping/braking is somehow helping and CONTROLLING THE SITUATION...SO THERE)...

But I digress...

My point is that I do most of the driving to track practices and workouts. Like I said, it works better this way. Betty and I have it down to an art form. Usually, she is waiting on her porch swing for me to drive up, even if I'm picking her up early in the morning, so I was pretty surprised when I pulled up at about 6:35 this morning and she wasn't waiting for me.

But, I know that Betty's been working hard this summer, so I waited for a few minutes, figuring she'd be right out...but she wasn't...so I decided to go to the call her cell phone

No answer...

I waited a couple more minutes and then decided to go to the door...which I wanted to avoid because Betty has dogs...who bark...LOUDLY...and I didn't want to wake her whole family (just her) but I figured she might have overslept...

So, I knock lightly on the window (because maybe Betty will hear this light tap at the back of the house, but the dogs won't?) which is not how it EVER works out...The dogs begin barking quite enthusiastically (of course)...which is when I hear typically hear Betty yelling at the dogs to shut the F-up...but this morning...nothing...

WTF?

So, I went back to the car and waited a little more...and decided to call her cell phone again...no answer...

Seriously?

I was about to knock on the front door again, when Betty comes out the front door...SMILING QUITE HAPPILY...but with no shoes on (not unusual)...and gets in the car

My comment...

"Did I interrupt?"

Betty...

"No, we were done..."

It was a sign of the satisfying morning to come (yeah...you read all the way for that line...thank you very much)...

So...after last week's less than satisfying Iron Girl 10K, Betty and I ran around Coronado this morning... 6.35 Miles in 1:07:10...a 10:35 pace! Woot! Woot! Woot! (Yes Betty, the jaunt around the back side of the Hotel Del was longer than if we'd run down Orange)



YES...SATISFACTION!

So much better than last weekend's debacle in Del Mar...

To what do I attribute this?

1. No Poli-crap
2. Gu (after 30 minutes of running)
3. No sun...beautiful morning fog in Coronado

AAAAHHHHH!

10 comments:

  1. I love that it's been overcast in the mornings - much easier to run. Then the sun comes out right when I'm done! SWEEEEEEEET.

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  2. So Betty's morning was doubly satisfying? :)

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  3. I'd rather be the driver, also. ;) Everyone else freaks me out.

    Nice run! I loved those runs in Coronado, especially when it's cooler out and just a little bit overcast, which is perfect running weather!

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  4. Oh, my husband's driving. Just thinking about it raises my blood pressure. He can't take his foot off the gas, ever, unless it's to put it on the brake. Aaannyway, glad I don't have those control issues like you do! ;)

    Nice run!

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  5. ok...so the Coronado run also has a boy part....but not as "happy" as the Lake Murray boy part, which is odd given the events of the day.

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  6. I think I am going to chime in here. I'm hoping you all enjoyed the satisfaction blog, but I'm positive I enjoyed it more. Let me take a moment to introduce a friend - I've thought about a few words for him and they are Eva D, Sharkey, or Carlos Manuel Rivera de Leon, but I've settled on calling him the Quiet Shoshone!

    That being said, I'd love to re-visit the Coronado run in the morning and if I'm not out on the swing, don't worry - I'll be "brushing my teeth" or something. Be patient - we're getting older!

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  8. I'm the SAME way with my husband's driving. Anyone else? Not an issue. If he's the one behind the wheel I go crazy. Husbands, they make us that way :P

    Sweet run chica!

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  9. Glad for the good run.

    Yeah, I definitely have control issues. I attribute my perpetual single status to that.

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