I got lost!

Alright, you have to be careful when you drop your youngest off at dance and head out for a run while she is at practice (of course, in the dark)...that is until you decide to veer off of your normal route. Feeling a bit cocky, I decided that I would not only run to the main road and back, I would make it a circle and go over a block too. Good idea, except that block was angled back toward the main road (AWAY from Megan's practice)--of course, I was unaware and am running and running, and get to the end of the block and look to where I thought I was going, thinking that I was just heading back to pick up Megan, but to see, gasp, that I was turned completely around and wasn't sure where I was!! To make matters worse, I had forgotten my phone, so I didn't know what time it was, or anyone to call, so I RAN back the other direction, I was cutting through peoples yards, praying for no big dogs, and got back to Megan's practice just in time. phew. Next week, will run to the busy street and turn around...no fancy stuff.

The Well Traveled Path

I've discovered that I am sort of like a horse...it's a lot of work to run out, but boy, when I turn around, I can make tracks to get back to my starting point. It took me 13 minutes to get to the street that I was going to turn around at and then 9 min to get back...huh? Obviously I look forward to getting to the end point, but sheesh. Maybe my muscles are just warming up...

Weather is still good for running outside, but am thinking that I might need to start looking for a gym. I also need to start working on sit ups--you know Joanna, build up those core muscles! :) I need to actually use my exercise ball, and not just let the kids play with it.

Better day!

I had a better day. 3.75 miles on Wednesday! It was a beautiful day, and no geese. :) I'm feeling more confident, I think I will stick to 2-3 miles until Christmas. One thing I am trying to figure out is how to make my knees stronger... I think the answer is going to have something to do with weight training, ugh.

Not a fan of geese.

I've been running pretty consistently lately. I went for two runs over the weekend and felt good. Today I decided to get out there during my break between work and class. The weather is gorgeous, no wind and just enough breeze to keep cool. I got out of my car and started on the path. I'm pretty sure there was either gum stuck to the bottom of my shoe or cement because my feet didn't want to move. It was a short run today....really short...Lesson learned: coffee, pretzels and grapes are not good energizers for running, I'm going to have to change up my breakfast diet.

My run today was interesting. As I was running it started to smell a little bit like a zoo, I came around a corner and kid you not, there were hundreds of geese, the smell was overwhelming. Half of them were in the water, and half were on land, none of them were on the running path, which meant I had to run in between the two groups. I kind of felt like I was in the middle of a war zone where everyone was waiting to see who was going to make the first move....

Then I kept going, and ran into another group of geese, this time on the path. I ran right up to them and they didn't move. I stopped and started clapping to try and scare them away. They were not impressed, just looked at me like I was a weirdo (I'm pretty sure the people driving by thought the same thing.) They finally started moving when I started jumping, then I made my getaway and sprinted through them.

Finally I saw my car and breathed a sigh of relief, and at the same time I felt my foot land in something soft...that's right... goose poop...

all in all, I've had better runs..

8x13=104...yeah right.

Tonight I was kindly introduced to the indoor track. It's nice, there's no wind, it's warm, plus there are drinking fountains. There is just one problem, the sign on the door, 8 laps equals 1 mile...what?! That means I have to actually keep track of how many laps I do? I start running, 1...2...3....3...4...5..hmmm. I'm not sure, but I think I ran somewhere around 16-18 laps. On a positive note I ran the whole thing!

While I was running I was thinking about how people say they solve their life problems while running...I would like to say this is true for me too, but in all honesty I'm thinking this: "1 down," "how much longer?" "almost there!" "my side hurts" "I don't think I can feel my legs" "breathe in- breathe out" and today "what could I use to keep track of all these laps? Maybe one of those golf ticker things..." I think I really enjoy running because it's a time of the day that I am not worrying about things. I'm not worrying about how well I did on an exam, or if I'm going to fail out of the mba program. I just have to think about breathing and getting around the next turn.

On another note, yoga is a good thing--it forces you to stretch, and it stretches hips and calves. Jill-invest in a dvd, talk to laura belle, or look into exercise on demand. Because I have a feeling you think the same about stetching as I do, which is stretching for 1 minute should be good enough.... and then we hit 8 miles and wonder why we still hurt...

Next scheduled run-Saturday morning, hopefully outside.

One more day down!

Feeling optimistic!

Well, ran 2.5 miles today. I should actually be more accurate...I ran/walked the 2.5 miles. It still felt good to be outside--I am getting more excited now--we can do it Joanna! My legs are tired and I am going to take tomorrow off. I also need to drink more water during the day. I see on the weather that it is suppose to be in the 60s this weekend--great running weather!

Megan likes the name, snappy sneakers...there are lots of letters that are also in her name..."That's my letter, that's my letter, that's my letter..." she has been pointing them out as I type.

A reason to get through the holidays without putting on the extra 5 pounds...

I have been telling myself for weeks to get off the couch and put on my shoes and go out and run! I always seem to find an excuse of why I can't do it...until Joanna called and said that she wants to do another run. After my initial thoughts of "Is she crazy?!", I started to see the reasons that we should do it.

#1 I eat and eat and eat at all of the holiday parties...
#2 I drink and drink and drink at all of the holiday parties...
#3 I feel better when I work out!
#4 I agree, being 500 miles apart from a sister kind of sucks after a while. It is nice to work for something together!
#5 My husband tends to work out more if I am working out, so it is a win win situation.

Now, the hard part, getting going--I have been doing a lot of sitting and not running...so, even though I know what it feels like to run 13.1 miles (or even 5 miles!), it is still hard starting out. I had to walk a few times to catch my breath, but the last half mile felt pretty good. It seems like I need at least a mile to just warm up now.

I day done...how many to go until June 6?