i blame the pimento cheese.

it takes a really long time for me to trust my body during marathon training, to believe that i am not going to be injured, and that's odd because i generally trust so easily.

/#haha/

when i finally get to the point in a training cycle where i feel really strong, fit, and sure i'll weather well the remainder of my training, i will treat myself to something.

sometimes, it's new running gear. once, i bought a sweet handheld water bottle... for a half marathon i ended up walking. once, i got two new pair of trainers... and ended up with a stress fracture (more walking). once, i got a pair of shoes especially for running my dream marathon and that act of faith led directly to nearly insurmountable tendinitis and even more walking.

sometimes, the treat is food. okay, MOST of the time, it's food. i mean, i AM running dozens of miles every week, so what's one little bag of candy corn, one extra beer, one entire box of girl scout cookies going to mean in the overall calorie count?

one week ago today, i treated myself to a carton of pimento cheese at the grocery.

the next morning, i'd developed a terrible pain in my left hip, and i knew right then what was to blame: the damn pimento cheese.

there's a belief among the irish that if you get to the point in your contentment with life that you forget there's an angry god holding you like a spider or some loathsome insect over the fire, well... you're setting yourself up for a whuppin'. accepting that good things can come your way, or -- heaven forfend! -- thinking that you DESERVE them, only leads to misery and loss.

this is why the irish believe so much in luck. if you're lucky, well... you can't help THAT, right? you didn't ask for it. you didn't let your guard down. it just happened! it's just luck! there can be no retribution for luck! JUST DON'T GET USED TO IT. there's no excuse for being used to luck, and if you're not careful, you'll get an almighty smack upside your prideful little head.

humility is the key. play it down. it's not me, it's luck. it's not me, it's circumstance. it's not me, anyone could do it, with just a little hard work, which bygod i've put enough of into the pot and if anyone deserves anything it's ME but no... it's not me, it's just luck.

remember, though: there is no bad luck. there is only good luck. good things happen by chance. bad circumstances are DESERVED.

i googled "irish always think something bad will happen if something good happens" and got an article on depression from healthcentral.com, followed by an OCD and then another depression from the UK national health service.

in conclusion, irish karma is why the irish drink.

i blame the pimento cheese.






(feeling better today, thanks, but no more pimento cheese!)