Monday Monday

What does a famous lasagna loving cartoon cat, Garfield, have in common with a long distance runner? A certain non-affinity for Mondays.

Sunday is my long run day, and my catch up on laundry day, and my work on freelance projects I've procrastinated writing day, and my go to the grocery story day, and my do lots of other stuff day. By the time the Monday morning alarm bells ring, it seems like Jon and Odie slipped some bricks into my running shoes.

It is mind and body boggling when six miles feels longer and harder than the 17 I ran the previous day. My only hope for Monday morning run completion is to establish a routine, stick with it, and download the "Wait Wait, Don't Tell Me" podcast from NPR onto my iPod shuffle before I head out the door.

Even though the cat is famous for being lazy, Garfield inspired me to get off the couch in the summer during my younger days. I would ride my bike to the bookstore every time I saved enough pet-sitting money to buy the next book in fellow Hoosier Jim Davis' series.

So, in a way, Garfield continues to inspire my athletic endeavors. By acknowledging Monday's impending ickiness, I know I just need to get through it and there will be a prize at the end. When I come back from my Monday run, I dive into a big dish of the runner's morning lasagna, a.k.a. oatmeal with cinnamon and banana and a glass of fruit juice. Garfield would be proud.