sea shell races

I enjoyed my run today (6.7k in a hour - including cool down walk). I was a bit annoyed with myself, having skipped my mid-week runs. I blame it on the icy weather. But I saw others running, and truth be told, I easily slip into an over-work habit when I am writing on a deadline (like now).

Somehow I TOTALLY FORGET that exercise, particularly running, increases my energy, relieves tiredness and reduces stress. Now, what's to not like about that when a deadline looms??? Maybe it's just that I like the adrenaline of hyper-focus and long hours. Dunno.

But anyway, I ran 6.7k in a snowstorm on the beach. The snow was wet enough to stick to the heels of my shoes, requiring occasional clearing. I ran into the wind first on this out-n-back along the North Sea. Everything looked dusted with sugar. The wind had swept the sand, revealing the tops of seashells. With the addition of a sugar frost, the seashells looked like they were racing one another, the snow forming a slip stream on the sides of every shell. I imagined a school of porpoises in minature.

I told this story to my younger son at dinner. He looked at me quizzically. Porpoises can't swim, he said. I said, yes they can, and then explained that porpoise was another word in English for dolphins. He was thinking of Tortoises. Then we had a good laugh at the idea of tortoises trying to swim. They'd look the same as rocks trying to swim. You have to understand that my sons spend most of their waking hours speaking Dutch (and when they talk in their sleep, it's in Dutch too).

So, I've committed to getting both my mid-week runs in this week.  I think I will see more improvement in my speed if I work on it during the week. I'm downright leisurely on the weekend pace.