Another run in sunny Ca...and enough of it for this cat

Today another long day of work, and me still having trouble adjusting to the time change. Upon arriving back at the hotel around 6:00 p.m., I headed out for a run, this time armed with a route compliments of gmap (unfortunately I lost the link--sorry!). The approximately 5.5 mile route was to take me by a little slip of water, through suburban Redwood City and Belmont, before looping back to the hotel.

The run, much the same as many of the others lately, was tough, though certainly not impossible. While I slogged slowly through the miles, I came to two very important conclusions, which are as follows:

1. Running is a harsh--and humbling--mistress. Yes, I am aware that less than a month ago, I ran a marathon. I acknowledge that 5 or 6 miles should not be as hard as it really is. I understand on a bone-deep level that my heavy legs are in fact capable of doing more, going further. But I reiterate what I have said before--none of this makes it easy. Running is hard. Plain and simple. But I'm going back to the basics now--and acknowledging the hardness, recognizing that it should be hard, that it's always going to be hard, and reminding myself that it's ok to be tired--to remember that it's ok to just slow down when I'm tired. That's the key, what I need to go back to--don't stop; just slow down, and be ok with that.

2. Order, order, order. As a relatively organized and admittedly neurotic human being, order has it place in my life. But after a week and a half of meetings, looking for local restaurants, planning my days along the time change and the things I want and need to do, and running along the perfectly manicured lawns and gardens of Silicon Valley...I'm ready to go back to my messy, luscious life in Boston, my normal days, my regular running routes, my own washing machine and dryer, my friends, my Jared.