Motility

Long runs can often be hard enough during the final stages without extra stress being added. Yesterdays long run started off well enough. It was a relatively flat to undulating course along one the busier trails. Nothing liked a bit of people watching on a Saturday morning to ease the way through a 2.5 hour run. It often beats the zoo.

I passed the halfway mark without any problems, except the pace was slower that I would have like. Just after crossing the ninety minute mark, I suddenly needed to go to the toilet. Not just from an overflow of fluid, this was a number two on the way. It's not something that is usually a problem for me. My digestive system generally seems to behave for the long runs.

My first thoughts were that I should be right to make it home. There was only an hour left to run. This soon changed as my body thought otherwise. Initially I decided to fight against nature, but my body answered back with pain in my lower abdomen. Looks like I'll just have to make a pit stop at one of the toilet blocks on the way home. This is something I hate doing when out training. The reason is I just hate stopping for any length of time during training, especially on a run.

A few minutes later I came to the toilet block. In and out nice a quick and I can continue to enjoy the rest of the run. No luck there, the toilet's gates were closed and locked. Why would they be locked late Saturday morning?

No problem, I'll just continue to the next one about 2km away. Again locked!

What is with the council and locking the public toilets on a weekend? Now things were getting uncomfortable. The run was no longer a training session, but a quest to find the nearest toilet. I toyed with the idea of jumping behind a tree or bushes, but it was a busy place. No one would be happy with that idea.

I knew of one more toilet that was about 2km from home. It was now my last chance. I was currently struggling with trying to decide whether or not to run faster or slow down. Increasing the pace seemed increase the pace of other movement, but time also didn't appear to be on my side. I eased around the trail corner and cut across the park to get to my goal sooner.

"What the f..k!!!" The council is going to get a letter, and a big thumbs down in the local paper from this. The whole toilet block was cordoned off with orange work tape. Completely taped up and no chance of getting in.

So much for a cool down. I picked up the pace big time. The last uphill home was hurting in more ways than one. I hit my driveway, and made the steep but short ascent in record time. Somehow I got my key out without any hassle and I was inside. The cat scooted out the way and I made it to the thinking seat. Just in time. In the end I ran a negative split by 10 minutes.


"The only opinion about your dream that really counts is yours. The negative comments of others merely reflect their limitations - not yours."-Cynthia Kersey

Comments

  1. Tea13 August 2007 at 08:05

    LOL
    I'm sorry for laughing at your pain. But at one point, we've all been there, right?

    very nice neg split.

    ReplyDelete

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