Spit Happens

I have a confession to make:  when I'm running, I spit.

I spit a lot. (stop snickering you immature people...)

When I'm running I just have a lot of build up of saliva and its hard for me to constantly swallow, so I expectorate.  It's gross I know.  We've been raised to believe that spitting is a rude, disgusting habit and one that we should avoid at all costs, and this is a belief with which I concur.  Excluding while running...

When you are running, all rules just tend to be tossed by the wayside.  I haven't been privy to it, but evidently during long races there are no rules of appropriateness.  You see people blowing their noses without a tissue, peeing in the woods, hell you can even find the pictures of people who have just gone on themselves to avoid stopping and thereby ruining their pace time.  I refuse to go to those measures because ew...  However, the spitting I can handle.

The problem is that after today's race, and a few other times I've caught myself spitting without having run!  I was coming out of the subway and before I knew it, I had spit on the ground!  I immediately thought, "What did I just do!?!  How gross!"  I need to remember that what is okay during a race is not okay when walking down a New York City street.  Blowing your nose requires a tissue, you don't pee in public and spit stays in your mouth.

So, in other racing news... I ran a 5K this morning.  I felt really good.  I saw a friend of mine during the race, and then another friend stayed after he was done to cheer me on at the finish line.  It was the first time I had a cheerleader at the end and it was really nice.  Thanks Eric!!

The course was pretty hilly, and was by far the hilliest race I've done.  I've run hills during my normal workouts, but I take those at a very comfortable pace and don't push it.  Because I was in race mode, I pushed through these babies.  So much so, that at the top of one I came the closest I've ever come to vomiting.  (I'm just all about bodily functions in this post, aren't I?)  I didn't though, and thankfully I was at a water station so I walked through as I drank and then picked back up and felt better.

The result?  My previous best time was 45 minutes and change, with a pace of 15:15/mile (or thereabouts).  Today?  I ran it in 44:07 with a pace of 14:13.  I'm SOOO happy!  Beat my personal record and felt great!  I really pushed myself and it paid off.  I can feel myself getting faster and stronger.  I just feel so amazing about life!  What a turn around from 6 months ago, right?

PS: Disney Marathon registration opens on March 15.  Who's with me?  I've got a couple of friends who are thinking about it and at least one that I definitely know is doing it.  Come on!  You know its gonna be a BLAST!

Mickey wants you to sign up for the Marathon too.  And what the mouse wants... the mouse gets!