Are you going to eat your tots?

I did, indeed, cross-train last night. A few stomach crunches, a few arm curls...next thing you know, I have been trained. So one session down for the week, two more to go. I've never actually done a full three days of cross-training any week...

...until now?! MAYBE! Keep your fingers crossed for a dedicated week of laying on the floor followed by lifting my arms in a repetitive fashion. I just might make it happen.

But not tonight.

Tonight was my first run after the race on Saturday and, on a scale of 1 to 10, I would give it, oh, maybe an ELEVEN BECAUSE I RAN FOUR MILES. Where did that even come from? It's unseasonably cool for September 1st here in Memphis (about 78 when I set out), with low humidity, and as I was walking to the path where I run, I thought, 'Hmmm...maybe I could do three miles tonight instead of my usual two.' And then I further thought, 'Hmmm...maybe I should listen to Revolver because WHY NOT?' And what do you know, a mile and a half in, "She Said, She Said" came on and I knew right then that I could run 4 miles. Easily.

Except "easily" left me in the final mile. I got a side stitch, my knees started to hurt a little, and my right shoulder cramped up (that's the arm I wear my iPod on). But I got through it, and my final time? 44:14! That puts me at just over an 11:03 pace, which is huge because my "official" (as in calculated by race officials) pace for the race on Saturday was 11:24. No only was I under my race pace, I ran the last mile in 10:41 (!!!!).

I have no idea how I did this. But occasionally, in rare, rare instances, I have good running days. Today was one of them.

It came as a total surprise, too. My boss is having this party thingy at our office after hours this evening, so before we left today, the office manager went out and bought a bunch of candy and distributed it at pivotal places throughout the office. I resisted admirably until she came over and dumped a handful of Dove milk-chocolate-with-almonds DELICIOUS MORSELS on my desk and I ate one, and then another, and then another, and then there were only three left, so I had one more, and even as I ate it, my stomach ached, as if to scold me: 'Four?! One really would have been sufficient, jackass.'

This is why I usually don't have candy just lying about. Or donuts. Jesus effing CHEE-RIST what I will do if I see a donut sitting somewhere. I will eat it. And I will want to vomit. And I won't even care. I will eat anything sweet if it's in front of me.

So I thought I might have terrible run because of all the chocolate (which I followed up with a huge Manwich sandwich and tots when I got home...my eating habits make no sense).

I eat like this guy.

Anyway, I put the two remaining chocolate morsels in my desk for consumption tomorrow, but now I'm thinking I should save them to eat before my run on Thursday (for luck). My stomach kinda still hurts, but I'd say that's minor in comparison to the major physical feat that was accomplished today.

Run done. Blog done. And I even have time to get a shower in before 18 Kids and Counting. I am awesome today.