lordy, i needed this run. i came home after work and found my front door wide open, my landlords inside, most of the kitchen ceiling missing and water everywhere. a pipe had burst. they were taking care of it and had a plumber on the way, so i decided my best bet was to get the hell out of there, do my run and decompress a little, and then deal with the disaster zone when i returned home in a more mellow state.

i wolfed down a snack, changed, and flew out the door. i was feeling pretty good for the first couple of miles. i was hitting an easy pace and figured i wouldn't have any issues covering my scheduled mileage. then around the 3rd mile, my calves started cramping. it worsened quickly. i've never experienced cramping like that before! i'm pretty sure it was because i ate right before running, which has never worked in my favor. normally i give myself at least 45min after eating, but given the circumstances this evening, i was literally on the road 5 minutes after hurriedly shoving the last of my raisin bread and blackberry jam down my gullet.

i managed to keep running until i hit the pier at burnaby lake, where i stopped to stretch out my legs and gulp some water from the bathroom in the rental hall that was- for once- open. following that, i walked out the rest of the cramps and then started running again.

from there on out, i actually felt pretty great. my calves loosened up and i was able to hit what i call my machine stride. it's where everything clicks and i suddenly feel smooth, mechanical and efficient. when i hit my machine stride, i feel like i could just keep running forever! unfortunately, that's never an option . . . but tonight i tacked on an extra mile, which brought me right to the grocery store. so i picked up a snack and walked home.

splits:
9:21
9:51
10:01
10:16
9:49
9:42
9:42

i came home and was surprised to find that the worst of the mess had been cleaned up and the pipe replaced. the ceiling still needs to be fixed, but there's minimal tidying up for me to do and that's really all i care about at present. and now it's time for oatmeal and true blood. and then i'm gettin' my o'blinkin on!