The good, the bad, and the ugly…

Despite this post title, I’m going to go through the highlights of the week (so far) in reverse order so we can end on a good note.

 

The Ugly:

• My track workout yesterday. The wind in Flagstaff is NO JOKE. Ouch.
• Finding out less than 24 hours before arrival in Boston that I had nowhere to stay. It was looking like I was headed for 4 nights in a cardboard box next to the Charles River.

The Bad:

• I already miss my kitty cat. Lying in bed last night, with her purring and trying to gnaw the flesh off my fingers, I felt insanely close to her (as one can only truly feel when a furball is trying to ingest your digits). How will either of us survive these next 4 days of separation? Maybe we won’t.  And that would be truly tragic, as my mom always warns me to stay healthy because she “can’t afford to send flowers.” Can you imagine what a hardship my funeral AND a cat funeral would be? My parents would probably be looking for a nice spot along the Platte River for their new cardboard box.
• I’m still not sure if anyone is actually taking care of my kitty while I’m gone. Things were very hazy since I almost forgot and had to fire off a text message on the matter last night, which hasn’t yet been answered. That will be my first order of business when I land – before running OR food. Like I said, we can’t afford cat funeral services.
• We are encountering what the captain describes as “moderate turbulence.” There is nothing moderate about it. Not only will my coffee and breakfast be making a return appearance, but my stomach will probably be making it’s out-of-body debut as well. Sorry for the visual. I just needed you all to suffer with me a bit here. (Although the in-flight internet isn’t working, so I won’t actually be able to post this until I land.)

The Good:

• BOSTON!!! What isn’t good about going to Boston for an indoor meet where I’ll get to see my college coach and some of my old teammates? AND I get to run fast! It’s an all-around WIN!
• Thanks to the overwhelming kindness of my friend Jenna, I will not be condemned to a cardboard box next to the Charles after all! Hooray! Also, the goof wants my autograph for her running wall. Who’s going to break the bad news to her that I’m not famous? Haha
• I have some new, gorgeous hot pink Saucony spikes for this season! I’m going to flyyyyy!
• It’s quite lonely training without a team, so I pretend that friends like Jenny Scherer (St. Norbert College grad and current Hansons-Brooks runner) are my teammates. On pretty much every long run and workout, I imagine that they’re running right next to me and it helps me push through when I’m hurting. Thinking about my “teammates” waiting for me can get me out the door to run when I really don’t want to. Thank you, Jenny, for helping me through all those workouts you didn’t even realize you were running. You have way more speed than you think!