The battle is over!

My head won the battle yesterday, but my heart won today. I was so anxious to run this morning my heart was beating hard. It felt so good to run! It took me about half a mile to get all the cricks out of my legs, but once they were gone I was off.....

I ran a fast three miles for my first time out in about a week. It felt really good.

I heard from April yesterday. Her leg is numb, so she is going to visit the doctor. When she called I was hoping she was going to tell me she was ready to run again! I am sad. I am ready to run with her at our favorite spot. I want her hip to get better, too!

Recovery

Well, it took me about 5 days to recover from the run. I could hardly walk for the first two days and I was so exhausted all week! Now I have a stuffed up nose, allergies I think, that is really annoying me! I truly believe that not running or exercising for the last seven days has led me to this mucus problem. I believe that running boosts my immune systems therefore I very rarely get sick or have allergy problems!

So, this morning my legs are ready to run, my heart is ready to pound, but my head is saying- NO!!! So, I am sitting here writing and I need to be running.

I let you know who wins this battle!

April and I with our half marathon medals! 

Running with the Deer!

Oh, what a beautiful morning! April and I always meet at 7am on Saturdays at our favorite running place. It is the most perfect time of the day because the sun is just waking up and slowly rising to shine on us. Our place is the absolutely most incredibly breathtaking park about fifteen minutes from our homes.

When you drive up it looks like any other park with a parking lot, playscape, picnic tables and bathrooms. But, as you walk further you view an immense body of reflective water. The body is too small to be a lake, but too large to be a pond. The water is embraced by trees and foliage. Off in the distance is a golf course surrounded by gorgeous homes.

We run on a hilly, winding trail that takes us over a large bridge overlooking the water.
This morning the white birds were forming over the water whispering good morning. Running over the bridge you are swept into a darker, more secluded trail enclosed with trees. This morning a couple horses were in the distance. The trail winds around and follows a beautiful flowing creek. We can hear the water trickling in the distance. Eventually we wind up in a larger park with an open meadow. When we reached the meadow this morning, the sun had risen and the birds were singing. As we ran up the hill we could see a family of deer frolicking and running through the meadow. It was as if they were running with us. What a blessed sight! Oh, how I wished I had my camera.

I grew up in the panhandle of Texas. The only animals I remember seeing as I was growing up were some squirrels and many horny toads, but never deer. When we moved to Central Texas we were thrilled to see deer hanging out near our neighborhood. We learned that deer are over populated in this area and can be a nuisance to many people. Not to me! Nine years later I still find it a special treat to view deer as we are driving here and there.
Running with them, a blessing!

April and I had a great twelve mile run this morning. We are ready for thirteen!

Bring it on!!!!!!!

I will let you know how it goes in about a week.

Ten Days until the Biggest One!

Running... Running....Running.... I have been putting many miles on the speedometer in the last few months. April and I have been training for our first half marathon. Training has been good. Training has been bad. Ibuprofen, ice, water, and carbohydrates have been my main staple. But, that's what it is all about. It's not supposed to be easy. Believe it or not, I don't want it to be easy.

We ran our longest and best run ever on January 22nd. We ran twelve miles (yes, without stopping) and it went great! It was exhilarating! It wasn't easy, but very doable! Then we ran our second twelve miles a weak later - Yikes! My legs gave out at the end of mile eleven. I was drained of every ounce of energy. I walked up the big hill and somehow I managed to slowly jog the last mile.

After that episode I have been doing everything in my power to make tomorrow's run better than the last. I can run with blisters on my feet. I can run with pain in my legs. I can even run with my injured foot that I have been nursing for the last two months. I can't run without fuel. I hope to have enough gas to keep going tomorrow. I need my confidence back for next Sunday's race.