The Runner's New Clothes

As a little girl I took gymnastics for a year or two. In my class was a girl who had a wonderful talent. I don't remember her name, or whether she was any good at the bar or the beam. What I remember about that little girl is her ability to make her pony tail swish. She could run down the "runway" and make that ponytail swing from side to side while barely moving her head. It was the coolest thing I had ever seen and I would secretly try to make my straight, stringy hair do the same thing. I didn't go very far in gymnastics but I never forgot that little girl and her fabulous, swinging hair.

Santa was very good to me this year and I got a great new running outfit. Cool new pants and a really pretty shirt. I also got a cute headband to wear over my ears. I decided to head to the gym Monday morning and knock out 6 miles. It was 19 degrees outside and despite the cool new headband I wasn't feeling up to that. So I put on my cute new out fit and headed to the gym. The first 2 miles were fine. The next 2 were brutal, but the last two were great. I really need distraction when I'm running and I found Cake Boss on the TV and he was making a huge car out of cake and I got pretty into that and before I new it I was 1/2 mile from finishing. I kicked it into high gear. I cranked up the speed and was full out running. I wasn't even hanging on to the bar. And then I realized what was happening.....my pony tail was swishing slightly. The image of that little girl running with her pony tail swishing came rushing back and I began to concentrate. Maybe, just maybe, I could do it now. I continued to run as fast as I could and began trying to make that pony tail swing. And swing it did! If you could see inside my head and see what I thought I must look like. Full out running in my cute new clothes with my pony tail swinging high. Oh! I was wonderful.

And then I caught a quick view of myself in mirrors along the wall.

And I almost fell off the treadmill.