WOULDN'T IT BE AWESOME IF...?

Most of you already know this, but in case you are just tuning in, I am currently in the process of training for my 12th marathon which, barring any major issues, I'm planning to run in October.  And, this time around, I'm doing my damndest not to complain about summer weather as I train.  I like to...okay fine...my coach advises me to run a minimum of four 20+ milers during each marathon training cycle and today was my second of 4.  I woke up to a beautiful morning.  A little warm, but not too humid.  My dear, sweet husband agreed to drop our kids off at camp so I could get going early, bless him.  I had plenty of fuel both pre-run and in my pockets for mid-run.  I even thought to put $5 in my shorts in case I needed anything extra.  I had absolutely nothing to groan about except the fact that I would be on the road, solo, for over 3 hours.  But, given that I choose to run marathons, I no longer allow myself to complain about any element of the training, at least out loud or to others, as I know absolutely everything that I am getting myself into each time I do it.  So, off I went, trying to be positive and just enjoy the ride.  But then, you have to do something on your long runs to keep from dying of boredom, right?  So, I started to play the game Wouldn't it be awesome if...?  But, here's the thing.  I couldn't just say something like, Wouldn't it be awesome if there was water available for me at every mile?  Don't get me wrong.  That would be amazing.  But, that is way too easy to dream up and gets a zero for creativity.  My game.  My rules.  No, I was going to have to come up with something that was a bit more farfetched than easy access to water.  For example, one of the first ones I thought of today was Wouldn't it be awesome if AWOLNATION was riding along side me on a flatbed truck and rocking out for the entire 3 hours that I was running?  Now that would be insane.  Just thinking about it as I write this makes me smile, so imagine what it did for me at mile 4 when I had 18 more miles to go.  We do what we have to do to get through these challenging elements of training.  After having done 11 marathons, I've decided bitching and moaning is overrated and a complete waste of time and energy.  Having fun is truly what it's all about it.  How you do that is up to you.  Here's a few of the gems that I dreamed up while I was on the road this morning.  Fair warning, they are pretty out there.

WOULDN'T IT BE AWESOME IF...

~ My 10 year old could drive and this was legal.  Oh, the possibilities.  First, and foremost, she could get her and her sister home from camp today.  Maybe they could stop by the grocery store on their way to get a few items that I'd forgotten yesterday.  They could even grab me an iced mocha from Starbucks.  Of course, they could treat themselves, too.  I buy. They fly.

~ My dogs could walk themselves.  In Lucy's case (age 14), she'd just need to do a few laps around the block when she felt like it.  In Clover's case (age 1), she could head out for a 3-5 mile run a couple times a day.  This way, neither of them would need anything from me beyond food and a few belly rubs.  

~ There was a beautiful, cold river, like the Deschutes in OR, that flowed from Winchester to Lexington and I could float over to XC practice on an innertube.  Yes, this one is kind of weird.  I was pretty parched when I drummed it up.

~ Wilco was playing down at the Blackhorse Tavern tonight.  But, they'd start early, like 7:00pm, so I could jam out for a few hours and then still get to bed at a reasonable hour.  Jeff Tweedy can't be that busy, right?  

~ I had superpowers just for one day.  Oh man, this one killed at least 3 miles as I debated with myself over which one to choose....to be invisible, to be able to fly, or to have elasticity.  I ended up picking flight.  Then I could go visit my friends Molly and Dina who I haven't seen in way too long.

~ All of my favorite bands released new albums this week.  After giving it some thought, I decided this was totally off the wall and narrowed it down to just three.  Because that seemed so much more reasonable.  Then, I spent a couple miles choosing who I'd pick.  I ended up with Sleigh Bells, Santigold and Robyn.

~ I could string up a hammock between the gazebo and a tree at XC practice and nap while the girls went on their recovery run today.  This one actually seemed doable at mile 18.  Not so much anymore.

Clearly, none of these things will ever happen.  But my run went a hell of a lot quicker just in thinking about them.  That was awesome.

Listen to this:

Stars - The Suits or listen w/