Happiness is a Port a Potty when the Kashi kicks in

Somehow I doubt that sentiment makes it onto anyone's sidebar motivational quotes, but we all know it's true. It was very true for me at mile 10 of 17 yesterday. Dang. My training plan called for a 2.5 hour run. That's a little vague in my book. Depending on your speed, that could cover 2 miles or 26.2. For me it was 17 miles in 2:40. Because that is the other problem, how do you run 2.5 hours. If you run out 1.25 you don't necessarily arrive home in 1.25.

It is smile season in Minnesota. Weatherbug said 47, the bank thermometer read 51, the smiles read spring. The nordic folk are emerging from their lairs and stuffy gyms and bringing it outdoors, and that makes us smile. No matter how curmudgeonly you are, you smile at your neighbor today. I ran down to and around Minneapolis' main chain of lakes. They were packed-it was great. Plenty of bikers with road streak up their back, one little guy flew kamikaze through a puddle I was passing and I had to dive out of the way to avoid a mud bath. That made me smile. It made the two girl friends running towards us laugh. We all laughed, because it was spring. At mile 11 my legs were beginning to wonder why I was running 2.5 hours today-stupid training plan. But then I was passed by a pair of greyhounds-lean racing machines. I blinked as I brushed shoulders with the owner of two more, and two more and than three more. A pack of greyhounds, a beauty to behold. My legs felt lighter and I ran on. I ran by a mom with a little guy who was laboring on his training wheels to make it up a hill. He was giving up as I passed, so I slowed and yelled encouragement alongside him, he grunted and strained his way up the hill and we all smiled.

My ipod was perfectly in sync with the day: as it should be moron-you programmed it. I have no idea why that amazes me in spite of the obvious. One flaw with ipod, it never seems to hit the Get your geek on! podcast, so I'll have to catch up on that and Simply Stu on my bike ride today.

Happiness is also running towards a grocery store when your stomach informs you at mile 14 that you did not eat nearly enough through the morning to support a 2.5 hour run. I was starving and we needed groceries so I called Trihubby so that he could pick me up at the grocery store.

Bizarre is "Another one bites the dust" queue ing on the ipod in the struggling last blocks where all nutrition has evaporated and you've sucked your flasks inside out dry. I refuse to die in the driveway of a warehouse grocery store-click next.

Happiness is arriving home with bags in tow and assisting the Tribe in building the largest strawberry-whipped cream-mini M&M-Chocolate Kiss-angelfood cakes for dinner.

Fresh Strawberries.

Smile world, it's spring.