Easy Run?

So this afternoon was my easy recovery run of 4 miles. I wanted to take the time and calibrate my new ipod sensor. Why? Because I am a total techno geek.  I also decided that even though it was only 4 miles I was going to wear my new “hydration belt” so I can keep getting used to it before race day. I hate hydration belts cause they bounce all over the place and I can’t stand that. But I got a  new one this weekend and wore it Saturday with not so bad results. It has a cute little pocket for my sport beans and my GPS transmitter. It didn’t bounce too bad once I started drinking the water. ANd I scoot it way down on my hips instead of on my waist which is way more comfy to me. A lot of this stuff is personal preference and I personally prefer to not have water bottles banging me in the kidneys. There is way more cushion in the gluteus medius area of my body.  So off I go. My hydration belt strapped on, my GPS in my pocket, my watch searching for said GPS, my ipod nano patiently waiting for me to “press the center button to begin calibration”. But wait I have to wait for my GPS sensor to pick up so I can track a mile and calibrate my ipod Nike +.  Good thing I walk for a bit to get warmed up. Finally it registers my pace and I hit all the start buttons and take off running. WAIT A Minute!!!! Why is my hydration belt bouncing all over like there’s a 7 on the Richter scale rocking Orange County? This will not do. I keep sliding it down to be more along my hips and it keeps sliding up and bouncing like mad. I push it down again and this time it starts to slide past my gluteus maximus and I have to pull it back up. Grrrr. Ok I know I have been running a lot but I have not lost THAT much weight. It was ridiculous. And I couldn’t stop because I was trying to calibrate my stupid sensor.  Ok my nice easy recovery run that I was feeling pretty good about was turning into a nightmare. I finally got to a mile, so my sensor was all set up and I could walk a bit to regroup.  Apparently the shorts I wore for Saturday’s run were a bit less slippery. A little friction goes along way it seems. I had gotten the large so I could wear it low and tight at my hips but I determined that my hydration belt will be going back to the store for a smaller size. I am just glad I didn’t pull it off and chuck it in the bushes like I really wanted to. I finally got my tank top pulled down enough to give me some grip and the belt sorta stayed in place long enough for me to settle into a decent pace. It was beautiful out and I chided myself for not appreciating my lovely surroundings and letting a silly little frustration suck the joy out of my run. I was grateful for my new book by Dawn Dais as I recalled her stories of training.  This was nothing compared to some of her runs. SO I buckled in and started to enjoy the sunshine, the cool breeze we are still enjoying at the beginning of July, the fact that I was not limping along the trail after running 8 yesterday. All in all nothing to complain about. I also had a little reality check in that I remembered why exactly I am doing this. Oh sure it is a personal goal of mine but that pales in comparison to what my honored teammates go through every day. I started thinking about little “Gubben”. I started thinking about Cory. I started thinking about Ramon. I started thinking about Emma, who is one of my teammates who is running with us and announced that yesterday was her 2 year anniversary of her diagnosis. What exactly am I complaining about? Not to take away from the challenge that I am undertaking and I will definitely need some pats on the back and encouragement along the way. But today, I got a little perspective shift and in the end 4 miles wasn’t so bad after all. I even got a little silly toward the end when I started thinking about all the crap I had strapped to me. I started to feel like a test case subject. I have my GPS which transmits to my watch. I have my Nike + sensor which transmits to my ipod. I have my hydration belt. I have my Road ID tag on my shoe with my emergency numbers. It’s a wonder I don’t get electrocuted when my hydration belt shoots water out of the bottles when I don’t shut them completely. The scary thing is.....I started to consider strapping on my heart rate monitor too. Somebody stop me. :)  On second thought, get out there and cheer me on.