I Sang and I Ran Somewhere

Last week I was here:
{sigh} Scottsdale, Arizona for a week no less. Now I'm back in Chicago, and it's supposed to snow and I have a cough.

The national annual sales meeting is always full of rah-rah-rah type activities planned to get us enthusiastic and socializing. I sometimes find these meetings overwhelming because they're just so much smiling and hugging and greeting. This year's meeting even had me doing two distinctly unusual things for Claire, but both activities being things I wish I could do better: singing and running. (Not at the same time.)

I Can't Sing
To kick the meeting off our meeting planners organized a choir, and asked for volunteers. Finally, an on-stage singing part where I would not be cut in the audition phase! Singing is one talent I really wish I had. But I really don't. The only time I near singing on-tune is when it's acapella with my sister... who has the same voice as me. We can do a fairly good Madonna.
It helped that this was like karoke-choir, with vocals piped in behind us to fill in the cracks and gaps. Or maybe just drown us out. I could hardly hear myself singing so maybe that's why we got a standing ovation.

I Can't Run
Two nights later we put on matching t-shirts for a charity 5k fun run/walk. I could have made the choice to secure my dignity and plan on the walk, but I was going to give running a try. (I had already sang in front of every single one of my coworkers, so why not continue to live fearlessly?)
A friend of mine said she'd be doing a light jog, so I figured we'd set a fine sustainable pace. About 3/10's of a mile later I watched as she jogged right on ahead of me. This is when I remembered that she was an assistant coach in college, and on-again-off-again triathlon coach.
I favored an alternating run and walk - meeting the true description of the 5k. My finishing time was 40 minutes. I felt good being in the middle of our pack, but sad when a team of walking co-workers (one in very impractical sandals) crossed the finish line just 8 minutes later. I'd jogged probably about 2.5k's and it only gained me 8 minutes. I blame the assistant coach friend and the excitement of a race start which probably had me enthusiastically starting the race at a much faster pace than I should have.

On Friday, the first day back in the office, I commiserated with a fellow coworker about how running on concrete is vastly different than our usual elliptical machine routines. Feeling it particularly in our quads and lower shins.
Ouch, impact. Ouch, going down stairs. Ouch, trying to move my rolly chair across my office. Ouch, getting out of the chair. Ouch, walking.
My marathon-running boss queried as to whether I'd worn running shoes. Yes! I did! His follow-up question was illuminating, "How old are your running shoes?"
The answer was that I am now planning on buying new running shoes. And maybe some shorts that will be conducive to running a little more often.

I think with practice I can run better, with less pain. Practicing singing may be hopeless and just cause for increased auditory pain to others. I'll keep that practice in the sealed cabin of my car.