Today I ran 10 miles.

Today I ran 10 miles. When I called home ecstatic and told my dad, his first response was "Why?" Well, that is an excellent question that I hadn't thought of before running the 10 miles.

I've never actually run 10 miles at one time. Ever. This was a big deal. Was it planned? No. Did I set out to run 10 miles this morning? No.

Don't get me wrong, this post isn't to brag about the fact that I can run 10 miles. (At the slow speed I was going, really bragging isn't even an option.) Anyway, this is more of an investigation as to how this miracle occurred. I honestly didn't think it was possible. After considering various possibilities, I've decided I owe this great feat to a book that I read yesterday entitled "The Non Runner's Marathon Guide for Women."

I picked up this little gem at Barnes and Noble yesterday after feeling discouraged with my running situation. After completing my 10K training, running has slowly morphed from stress-free escape to self-induced torture. Essentially, I started to dread running, a feeling I've been familiar with my entire life. So, of course, I turned to my trusty philosophy that a good book can fix almost anything. I was immediately attracted to this particular book, first because of the La-Z-Boy recliner on the cover, and second because of the amazing hatred of running and sarcasm dispersed on every page.

An author who writes a book about running that hates running- that is exactly my kind of book. Anyway, after reading well into the night, I woke up this morning and laced up the ole' running shoes. I decided to get back out there and drop the "I'm going to die" routine that typically plays on repeat in my head about 5 mins into my run. Oh, and obviously most importantly, I made myself a new running mix, entitled FLASH back, complete with Hanson, Backstreet Boys, Britney, and even a little TLC. Actually, now that I think about it, I'm guessing that this line up of musical talent was probably the primary reason I survived this morning. As I passed other people I was secretly laughing thinking how great it was that I could listen to MMMBop in my headphones and not be judged by these unknowing bystanders. Of course, now you are probably judging me since I've shared my secret enjoyment of ridiculously horrible pop, but I'll just tackle one issue at a time.

Anyway, as this could be a once in a lifetime accomplishment, I decided that I'd better write it down somewhere. This way instead of telling my future grand kids stories of my glory days, I can just send them to my blog.