17 TOUGH MILES = SIX CRANBERRY SCONES

OK. SO I KNOW FROM EXPERIENCE THAT THERE WILL ALWAYS BE TOUGH RUNS. BUT, STILL IT'S FRUSTRATING. TODAY WAS MY TURN FOR A BAD ONE.

WE SET OUT TO RUN OUR 17 MILES ON "GOOD" FRIDAY. I WAS ILL-PREPARED. THAT SHOULD'VE BEEN MY FIRST CLUE. RUSHING TO GET OUT THE DOOR TO MEET MY FRIEND, KRISTI WHO REARRANGED HER SCHEDULE TO BE MY WING-WOMAN (THANK YOU, K!), I WAS GRABBING AND THROWING WATER AND GUM AND MY GARMIN WATCH INTO MY BAG AS I LEFT THE HOUSE. TYPICALLY, I LAY EVERYTHING OUT THE EVENING BEFORE A LONG RUN. NO TIME TO PROPERLY PREPARE THIS WEEK. AS I STRAPPED MY GARMIN ON MY WRIST, I REALIZED I HADN'T EVEN RE-CHARGED IT, AND IT ONLY HAD 2 HOURS OF BATTERY LIFE IN IT. TURNS OUT, SO DID I. :(

FORTUNATELY, DREW AND THE KIDS FOUND US AT MILE 12.63, JUST BEFORE MY GARMIN WATCH WENT KAPUT. THEY CAME ARMED WITH FRUIT SNACKS, JOLLY RANCHERS AND WATER. THAT JOLT OF SUGAR GAVE US THE BIT OF ENERGY NECESSARY FOR THE LAST SEVERAL MILES.

NOT SURE OF OUR PACE OR EXACT MILEAGE, SINCE MY WATCH STOPPED AT MILE 13 SOMETHING. BUT, I AM SURE OF THIS: WE FINISHED OUR DUMB LONG RUN THIS WEEK, AND IT WAS THE TOUGHEST ONE YET FOR ME. EVERYTHING HURT.

SO, I STOPPED AT BREADSMITH'S AND ORDERED 6 CRANBERRY SCONES (WHAT? I ATE THEM PERIODICALLY THROUGHOUT THE DAY). I THINK THEY PUT CRACK COCAINE IN THOSE PUPPIES. I'M ADDICTED.

BAD RUN. GOOD SCONES. SOMETIMES, WE TAKE WHAT WE CAN GET...