A Run To Chocolate
Just to clarify, I did not run for chocolate. I ran to chocolate. This is an important clarification. Running for chocolate means that I earned chocolate. I went out and I ran so I could have chocolate. Running to chocolate means that the fastest way to get chocolate and the more time to eat chocolate was to run to chocolate.
Let me put up the back story first, otherwise this story is hard to follow. It was a Friday afternoon. I was heading to Seattle on Saturday for a coaching conference. My parents were out of town and I planned on taking my dads car, not so I didn’t have to drive my own but so his car could get out of the driveway for a day and enjoy some spring sun after being left there for almost six weeks. On Friday midday, I was only about 6,000 steps into my fitbit and figured I would walk the two miles to get the car. One hour later, I was happily watching another episode of “Fixer Upper.” Two hours later, a need for chocolate came on out of nowhere, it could possibly be compared to running in the sun for an hour with no water. And I was beginning to feel guilty for starting a third episode of “Fixer Upper” (that show is really good). At 3:15, I wasn’t sure how I was going to make through the day without chocolate, there was no rationalizing this craving. Chocolate became a need and I still needed to pick up the car before my 4:30 class. As I started putting on my shoes, I remembered the bag of Robins Eggs in the cupboard at my parents house. The bag I hid on the top shelf because I was afraid my kids might eat them. *As a side note, the Robins Eggs would have gone bad if I didn’t eat them. So it wasn’t like I was stealing food from my parents, I was clearing out their cupboard before mice got into them, or they molded.*
It was misting out as I started walking down the street and suddenly realized that I could get up there a whole lot faster if I ran. I was in no condition to sprint or even break a 10 minute mile. But I wasn’t in this for the sweat and glory, I was in this for chocolate and a car to drive. And the first half of the run is down hill, so I pretty much just had to lean forward and I was running. Once the hill came, I didn’t give a shit, I was half way and making great time.
At the last hill, I started walking. Two things occurred to me. Number one, It took me just over 20 minutes with out even thinking about it. And number two, I was so motivated by chocolate I didn’t even realize or care about my stride or pace. I was completely content in my run, I was enjoying my run.
Now some might ask if I was PMSing. I sure as hell hope I was. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy a York or some candy corn, But this NEED for chocolate, the desperation was not something I experience regularly, probably only like once a month. I might get cravings here and there and I indulge when it feels right, which I can pretty much make that happen when I want. But I also don’t usually have a need for sugar. I can usually pass it off until after class or tomorrow.
At the end of the day, I got my 10,000 steps in, I got a lot of chocolate AND i went for a run without even thinking about the run itself. At the end of the day, I realized that some days I have little self control and maybe thats alright.