Eye of the Tiger

So I don't have a great memory, but while I'm jumping rope today, all I can think of is Rocky and this vision of him jumping rope like a mad man during his training.  It's not the first time I've thought of good old Sylvester Stalone.  During the winter and those cold runs, I thought of him as well running in Russia.  You would think that I'm a big Rocky fan and I'm really not.  The last time I saw these movies was in the 80's and I'm sure that it wasn't really my choice to watch them.  I got a punching bag for Christmas a couple of years ago and I'll still get that out every once in a while.  I used to go to a kickboxing class that I really liked and when they cancelled it, I wanted to do it at home.  Anyway, so back to the jumping rope.  Circumstances made it so that I didn't get to leave the house today and so running was out unless I wanted to get down on the treadmill and that definitely was not going to happen.  So I grabbed my i pod and decided to make the best of it.  I tend to make games out of my workouts and that seems to make them go faster and makes it much more enjoyable.  So I warmed up for 2 songs (double jumps) and then alternated fast songs and single jumping with moderate songs and slower jumping for the first 20 minutes.  Then I did shorter intervals for the next 25 minutes by fast jumping during the chorus and bridges and slower jumping during the verses.  I alternated knees up and kicking back behind me for the last couple of songs and then cooled down.  It ended up being a really fun workout, one I'll do again for sure.  I was interrupted about 30 times by my kids asking me crazy questions that they'd figure out for themselves if I wasn't there.  The phone was also a problem.  Another good reason for me to get out and run.  I get to be alone with basically no interruptions.  I think I mentally need that time each day.  It makes me a better mom and a better human being in general.

I have also been pondering some of the things that Mike talked about in his blog today.  I've been really discouraged about running any races lately.  I've left my new fancy schmancy watch at home for almost a month now.  I just don't seem to be satisfied with any of my race results.  I think part of my problem is that I put in a lot of work and the training runs seem to be so good.  Then the race comes and I bomb out.  I really appreciate all the support and comments from friends and family and Anna and Mike especially.  These seasoned runners can see past these few disappointments and the good that will come eventually.  I lean on their advice a lot.  Thanks!  Anyway... I'm really digressing today... I was visiting with a good friend this week.  She's a bit older than I am, but we think a lot alike and I really respect her.  When she was little they didn't expect her to live.  She had asthma so bad and really could never participate in anything physical.  Her doctor calls her a miracle because she lived past age 8.  Now there's good medication and though she deals with pretty severe arthritis she is always so positive.  She doesn't complain and though she'll be honest with me about how she feels, she's always grateful for what she can do.  Somedays it is very limited.  She tries to stay active and lifts weights and is a healthy eater.  Every time I leave her I am renewed with gratitude for what I am able to do.  It's not anything great but 4 years ago I didn't think I'd ever be able to run again.  It was a devastating thought.  I'd never been athletic through all my school years.  I avoided playing any type of sport.  I just didn't think I'd be good.  I was a good spectator though and I enjoy watching all types of sports.  And now that I'd finally found something that I loved, I felt like it was being taken away.  Being able to run again brought such great joy and appreciation for my body.  I think I've lost some of that this year.  I'm taking for granted the simple action of slipping on some running shoes and hitting the streets.  I want speed and endurance (and I want it right now!) instead of simply being grateful that my body is able to do those things.  It's something so basic and yet I know there are people who physically can't do it.  They can't do what they love to do.  My heart aches for them because I know how they feel.  I think that's one reason I've left the watch at home and why I'm running alone and why I don't have any desires to run any races right now.  I need to get back to why I run in the first place.  I need to be grateful for the simple ability and just be content and happy with the fact that I can run.  I need to remember that running is fun.

Easy Run

I took it easy today and did a walk/run for 4 miles.  I ended with doing lunges at the horse stables.  I gave up riding after I couldn't figure out how the bridle was supposed to be.  It was twisted and I just couldn't get it twisted in the right direction with all the things pointing right. So I just went home and finished lifting weights for my whole body.  I need to be more consistent in doing that.  I've been kind of a slacker lately with my weights and today I could tell.  I'll probably be pretty sore tomorrow.  That's the problem with slacking; it always hurts to get back to where you were.

Long Run

I've been keeping my eye on the weather to see which day was supposed to be the coolest (that's a relative term nowadays) and when I saw that it might be stormy on Monday, I decided that I'd do my long run today.  It started to thunder last night and I was excited in the hopes of a rainy run again.  As I stepped outside this morning though, there was not a cloud in the sky.  Not even one.  Oh well.  I ran 13 miles today.  Miles 10 and 11 were tough because it was really uphill and getting hot but the last two were good.  It's nice to have it over with for the week and now I can concentrate on some cross training activities.  

Horsie Run

My legs were pretty tired this morning, just feeling the effects of the stairs and jump rope, I'm sure.  I only ran 3 miles and then went over and rode Ritz for a while.  She was out in the pasture and came right over to me.  I bridled her out in the pasture and then took off.  It was the fastest and easiest it's ever been for me to get the bridle on.  Bianca is so funny.  She won't let me bridle her (at least without Jill or Janzen there) but then she acts so jealous when I'm out riding Ritz.  Silly horse.  When I walked out of my house this morning and sat down to put on my shoes, I looked up and was blown away by the beauty of the sky.  It was so blue and there were these beautiful clouds that were bright white.  It almost took my breath away.  While running I just could help but look upwards to check out that gorgeous sky.  I didn't take this picture until afterwards, but really, it was something to behold.

Run, Stairs, Run

I decided to run down to the high school track this morning and run stairs.  It's 2 1/2 miles there and back and I did 10 intervals of 1 minute/1 minute on the stairs.  The stairs are a killer workout!  But I know they're so good for my rear end.  I ran stairs religiously 6 years ago and I swear it gave my behind a good shape.  I need it back.  Unfortunately I don't have the drive that I did  6 years ago.  Well I guess it's a different drive.  Slower maybe.  Anyway, my legs felt like lead jell-o on the way home and it was really hot!  The hills were especially tough on the way home.  I stretched really good and am looking forward to a real cool shower instead of trying to hit all the sprinklers along the way.

Run and Jump to the Music!

I dragged myself out of bed earlier than normal this morning so I could head out before it got too hot.  I ran 4 miles and ended with a giant hill that I ran up all the way thanks to my new favorite song blaring in my ears the whole way up.  There's something about concentrating on the beat and keeping my eyes just a little in front of me instead of up the whole hill, that seems to help me with hills.  Now if I could just remember that all the time.  It was a good run.  I jumped rope for 15 miserable minutes and the only thing that made it bearable was Abby doing it with me while listening to Miley Cyrus with her.  I love it when my kids exercise with me.  I still need to get in my upper body weights today but it will have to wait until later tonight.

Rainy Run

What great weather for a summer run!  When I started out this morning it was sprinkling a little but by the time I had gone 5 miles, it had started to rain!  Hooray!  It's been a really long time since it's rained and it felt so good.  I ran over to the horses and rode them for a bit really trying to concentrate on those core muscles and my inner thighs.  It was so fun listening to the sound of the rain on the metal roofs.  The thistles are blooming and the Russian Olive trees were beautiful in the rain.  It was a great day to be out.  I felt so good and the weather was perfect so I decided to do another 5 miles after riding and make it my long run.  It's days like this I need to remember when I'm having those not so good days and can't remember why I love to run.

Meet my new training partners!

I thought since I'm spending a bit of my time with the horses, I should introduce them.  Here's the background:  A little more than 15 years ago, Janzen gave up on dating and bought a horse.  There's some property not quite a mile from where we live that rents stables and use of a couple of pastures for really cheap.  They're still there today.  I met him shortly after that and after we got married and he was working and going to school, he just didn't have the time to train her and ride like she needed.  He decided to sell her.

Left to right:  Sassy, Ritz, and Bianca

His mom, who was raised on a farm, offered to buy her and has taken care of her ever since.  Bianca is a really smart horse and is pretty stubborn.  She has pushed Janz out of the stall after he's given her medication and shut the door behind her.  She has learned how to let herself out of her stall and forced grandma to buy bigger and better locks.  She knows how to steal hay from the other horses stalls and is kind of a tease.  She'll bite the other horses out in the pasture while they're minding their own business and she loves to run.  But you put a kid on her and she's the best horse in the world.  She just seems to know that they're more delicate and she is wonderful.

Grandma (Jill) bought another horse shortly thereafter so that two people could ride at once.  Ritz is a bit older than Bianca and is much more mellow.  She has a much smoother ride and is a little thinner around the middle, not so hard to stretch those legs around.  She was a breeding horse and constantly had her babies being taken away from her.  She feels that pain, I think, and doesn't like being separated from the rest of the horses.  She is a really good horse.

Sassy came next, just a couple of years ago and was such a cute baby!  Too bad her stall is next to Biana's and she's been learning tricks from her.  Sassy is a good name for her.  She still likes to buck and is really nervous.  But she just needs to be ridden.  She's shorter than the other horses.  But that's not saying much since the other horses are about 17 hands (5 ft. 8 in.) tall.  Like I said, I have to use the step ladder to get on!  They're all American Saddlebreds.  They're great at endurance and comfort while riding.

Jill bought a trailer that hauls all 3 horses and will take them any where we want to go.  She grew up with horses and loves them.  In fact she thought she was a horse when she was little.  And then pretended she was a horse until she was about 10.  She recently bought a surrey and had Ritz trained to pull it.  That should be really fun.  Jill is so willing to share her love of horses with others.  She has given many of the neighborhood children horseback riding lessons and lets a cute girl who lives close by ride Ritz whenever she wants.  The kids have always loved to ride, but it hasn't been until recently that I've really loved it.  About 4 years ago is when I injured my IT band riding horses with her in the mountains.  I didn't really know what I had done until it was too late and it just about killed my running.  I've been leering about riding ever since then, but I've fixed the problem and riding bareback is the way I like riding the best.  No fuss, just bridle and go!

Jill read about a horse race that's 26 miles long that we're thinking about doing next year.  It would have to be on Sassy because she's the only one without arthritis and she's the youngest.  We don't have much info yet though so we'll see.  It would take a lot of training to get both of us to that point.  I know somewhat about that kind of training!  

So this week was kind of a bust for me as far as exercising went.  I did some major weight training on Monday that kicked my hiney.   Tuesday I ran 5 miles and went to the horses but they were eating and I didn't want to disturb them.  Wednesday I missed running because of a big mess with my credit card (read about that here) but rode the horses for about an hour and 1/2 while Janz worked on some plumbing at the stables.  I rode Bianca this time since Ritz was literally worn out from some neighbor girls the night before.  Then I rode Sassy for a bit with a saddle on.  It was great to be out riding as the sun was going down.  We left the next day for some camping so I got a lot of good walking in and even some hill work from ice blocking down a really steep hill and racing back up it.  No long run this week.  I plan on doing better next week.  

Decision Time

Maybe this is a bad time to do this, since the cold isn't completely gone, but I think I've decided not to run the Top of Utah Marathon this fall.  It's been in the back of my mind that I would do it since I didn't get into St. George and to keep me running through the summer.  But I don't want to run another marathon and just survive it.  I want to feel accomplished at the end and feel like I've trained well and done my best.  Right now, I don't feel like I could follow a training program in this heat.  Call me a wimp but I just can't do it.  I would like to do a couple of half marathons but mentally I'm just not ready for a full yet.  Truth is, I'm scared.  I'm not really a competitive person.  I typically don't run races any faster than I run the distance in training.  I don't get that adrenaline rush that pushes most people.  But I don't like to fail either.  The last two marathons seemed like failures and I'm afraid of another experience like that again.  There's a part of me that says to do another one this year to get over the fear, you know the old get back on the horse thinking.  But the smart part of my brain says that I'm not trained properly so don't set yourself up for it.  I run because I love it.  But lately, I'm running because I've told myself that I'm dedicated to being consistent and not quitting but definitely not for the love.  I don't like that.  So, I've left my watch home for the past two runs.  I didn't want to focus on my time or pace or even distance.  I just wanted to run for the fun of it.  Then I came home and figured out how far I ran.  (So I must care slightly about how far I'm going!)  I ran 4 miles on Wed and ended with riding Ritz.  It was pretty cool because they were out in the pasture and I wasn't sure I could catch her to bridle her.  But she came right over to me and followed me over to the gate.  I was pretty excited that she knows me.  I lifted on Wed too and I'm still pretty sore all over my upper body from that.  I know I need to get back to training my lower half better.  I'm really not getting sore from riding the horses bareback anymore.  I guess I need to go longer.  I went last night too and rode the "baby" horse Sassy.  She was trained last year and as soon as she got back she ripped up her leg and had a long recovery.  She hasn't been ridden only a few times so getting on her was a brave move on my part.  She spooks pretty easily and was scared of her own shadow!  But I rode her bareback for over a half hour and she got better each time around.  I will say that she put on a rodeo show when I first got on her and rared and  bucked!  Good thing Janzen was right there with me.  I held on o.k. but it was pretty scary!  I rode Bianca bareback last night too as it was getting dark so it was pretty short, but she the fastest of the horses and the wildest!  They're so fun and riding is getting to be as big of a release for me as running is.  Monday night I was just so irritated with everything and all I could think about was going for a ride.  After we did, I was good. 

I went for a run today knowing it would be the long one of the week since tomorrow is crazy.   It ended up being 9 miles.  I would have like to have made it a little farther, but oh well.  I'm going to try to keep doing my longs runs so that I won't lose my endurance and to be ready for a 1/2.  Maybe that will help my body get accustomed to running those longer distances and help me be better prepared for next year.  I'm also going to try to incorporate more cross training and just keep moving forward.  That is what we do while running after all, just one more step forward.

Running Rut

I don't know what's wrong with me.  The last two runs I've had have been miserable.  I ran 5 miles on Thursday and it was a struggle the whole time.  My lungs, legs, heart, everything wanted to stop.  It could be that the cold I've been fighting for about a week now was peaking then, but today was just as bad.  I only made it 3 miles and I was lucky to do that.  I think I'm over the hump as far as the cold goes, but it was just a fight to even go out today.  I didn't get a long run in because of the holiday this weekend.  But to be honest, I don't think I would have been able to do one with the way I've been feeling.  It's discouraging knowing that if I don't get up early, it gets too hot to go for very long.  I'm in a rut and hope this too will pass.

Horsie Rides

I got myself up again this morning after sleeping too long yesterday.  It is really hot out there even at 6 a.m.  This morning it was 75 degrees when I left!  I ran a new route today that was 5 miles before I got to the stables.  It was good and the only problem continues to be the muscles around my ankles that seem to warm up very slowly.  I had problems getting the halter on right this morning and had to call my hub to help out.  He was just leaving for work and was able to stop over and figure it out.  It was just all twisted up and I couldn't see how it was supposed to go.  I didn't get sore from Monday's ride, so I decided to go a bit longer today and go a little faster to make myself hold on a little tighter.  Bareback riding is so fun.  Ritz got in the round corral and just wanted to run.  She goes into a lope so easily and smoothly and I love being on her back for the ride.  I did get pretty tired holding on for dear life with my legs and had to make her walk so that I could have a break.  But it was really fun.  Ritz is a beautiful and patient horse and I'm so glad I got to ride her!  Total miles: 6.

Wake Up!

Saturday was a huge wake up call to me that I need a wake up call to get myself out of bed earlier if I am going to keep running this summer.  It just gets too hot even by 9 or 10 in the morning and it doesn't really cool off either.  So I made myself get out of bed this morning a little before 6 and was able to get out the door by 6:15.  It was a beautiful day and it was already warm.  I decided to run my 5 mile route backwards (did I mention I'm sick of my route?) before heading over to the stables to ride Ritz for a little bit.  I detoured a bit onto Main Street where all the drinking fountains are.  Then I headed over to ride.  Ritz is a really patient horse.  It was my first time putting the bridle on by myself.  I usually have my mother in law or Janzen or Justin there to help me, but I think I got it on right.  Good thing I didn't have to mess with the saddle or I could have been there an hour just trying to get it on.  I rode around for about 15 minutes bareback to get that good inner thigh workout and then headed home to finish my weights.  It's so hard getting out of bed early, but I'm always glad afterwards that I did.

It's been a week...or two

I decided after the Bear Lake 1/2 that I would take a complete week off and just rest this bod of mine.  I'd been working it pretty good and it was time.  It turned out to be a great week, one where I didn't have to worry about fitting it in or about the heat which decided to finally arrive.  But by Saturday, I was missing it and was thinking about going on a run.  However, Justin was at Youth Conference and Janz was at a service project that went until about noon and there was no way that I was going out in that heat after noon.  So it would have to be Monday then.

I woke up bright and early Monday morning ready to hit the road and discovered that I couldn't move my neck without being in terrible pain.  I had really kinked it this time.  I couldn't stand or sit in any position without it hurting so badly.  I found a position on the bed that I could be in and pretty much stayed there the whole day.  I looked at my running shoes sitting on the floor by my carefully laid out clothes and wanted to cry.  This happened about 8 years ago and it took about 2 weeks to get better.  I got myself into the chiropractor and even though I was pretty nervous about seeing him, I think it helped.  I tried to run once this week.  I only made it three miles with a little bareback riding in the middle of that.  (That's my new inner thigh workout!)  The movement just hurt my head too bad and it was worse for the rest of the day.  I iced, heated, stretched and repeated several times during the week and by the last appointment on Friday I had almost full range of motion.  So I thought I'd try a long run today.

I wish I would have gotten up earlier.  The heat has been in full force for two weeks now and I've missed out on acclimating myself.  I really am a fair weathered runner and hate the bitter cold and the blistering heat.  I like spring and fall.  I need to move or adjust because it just isn't like that here.  I didn't have time to eat anything.  So I just grabbed my stuff and headed out.  It was a hard one today.  My ipod died about 2 miles in and was on a really good song too.  I am so sick of my 5 mile loop, so I decided to just wing it and go wherever I felt like it.  With that new snazzy watch it's easier to decide how far to go before turning and heading for home.  I ended up in the next town over on some very hard hills.  I guess it's not called "snob hill" for nothing.  I went down a nice dirt trail where the grass on the sides was as tall as I am.  I had a mama bird dive bombing me for a while.  She must have thought that this nice little runner was after her young.  I'm pretty luck not to have poop on me, because I think that I was definitely her target.  There were tons of dragonflies zooming in and out of the grass and the pond out there that I have heard frogs in was pretty grown over.  Out west seemed much hotter than in town probably because there was NO shade.  I crossed the highway and ran into a gas station to use the potty and splash water on my face.  From there until home was pretty much a struggle.  It was just so hot and it was all uphill.  I looked for the shady streets.  I ran through the sprinklers.  I passed a lemonade stand and wished I had 50 cents on me.  I was pretty beat.  I really couldn't wait to get home and in a cool shower.  I rounded the corner, saw home and finished the eleven miles.  Janz was outside washing the cars and at my request, he hosed me down.  Felt so good.  Even though it was tough, it felt good to be out there.  I think it just takes something like a little injury or sickness and you come back that much more grateful for the ability to just move those two legs forward.  To quote a friend, "It's a good day to be alive."

Bear Lake Half Marathon

Last week didn't end up being very productive.  After I ran with Jody on Tuesday, I didn't run again until Thursday with Janzen for 2 miles and then another mile with Logan in the stroller.  (He was pretty jealous that Janz went running with me and begged to go when we got home!) I just didn't feel like running.  I was having a rough middle of the week and was so tired and just didn't want to do anything.  I couldn't figure out what was wrong with me.  I was just blah.  I kept thinking it was o.k. since I had the half coming up on Saturday, but then I'd get worried about being able to do it.  It was kind of a last minute decision to run the Bear Lake half marathon.  I had to call them since online registration was closed and it looked like they were full.  But they had some cancellations and were able to fit me in.  I didn't start getting the jitters until the night before, so that was good.  

Janz and I got up at 4:30 and were out the door by 5:00 a.m.  I ate a bagel for the first time before a race that Holly brought me over to carb load on.  It was good!  I decided to wear my camel bak during the race since I wear it on training runs and wouldn't have to waste time at the drinking stations.  This is the first race that Janzen has taken me to and I was glad for his company.  It was calming.  The drive up was beautiful.  Logan canyon was gorgeous.  Because of the cooler temperatures and the all the rain, everything was green and there was still snow once we got higher up.  It was fun reminiscing as we drove up.  We spent a lot of our dating time and early married years in that canyon fishing.  He drove me up there early one morning and made me breakfast in the canyon and then took me to Bear Lake for the first time.  The drive there and back was as much fun as the run itself.  I was a little worried about the temperatures.  It was 32 degrees right before we descended into the Bear Lake Valley, but quickly warmed up to about 53 as we got into the sun.

I picked up my packet, hit the bathrooms, and then we waited in the car for about a half hour since they changed the bus times.  I pinned my number on my shirt.  I kissed Janzen goodbye and got on the bus.  Then I waited for about another half hour for them to go.  While waiting I sat and listened to other runners talk about their past experiences and it was fun to hear people talk about their Salt Lake experience with the wind.  There were several who had run Ogden and some were talking about their past Bear Lake experience.  I am a people watcher and I love the bus rides up and just watching and listening to people.  I sat next to a cute couple who had run the Ogden half and couldn't help but think, "if only I had started this running thing before I had kids."

We were really late in getting started.  I don't know what the problem was.  However, once we got to the starting line they were ready to roll.  Just one problem.  As we got off the busses and started to look for the porta potties, there were none to be found.  A whole slew of guys just walked up the hill relieved themselves in a big line across the horizon.  Now don't get me wrong, I love being a girl.  I love all the perks that go with it.  I love letting my guy baby me and open jars and lift heavy things for me.  But in this desperate (no exaggerations here!) moment, I wished I was a guy.  It's just not fair.  We (several other desperate gals) found the race volunteers and asked where the bathrooms were.  We were told politely that they were one mile behind and in front of us.  UNBELIEVABLE!  I was not happy.   Then at the starting line there was some explanation going on about starting your watches and the timing chips not working.  We overheard at the packet pick up line that their computer equipment didn't arrive on time so I don't think the timing chip I was given even worked.  There was no pad to cross at the start and none at the finish either.  No big clock to see your time and a volunteer writing down the numbers of who came in.  I started my Garmin and took off.  I started in the middle of the pack and was moving along o.k. but needed that porta potty.  I saw it coming and of course there was a line.  What was I expecting?  There was no going another 2 miles until the next one so I stopped.  And waited.  And waited.  It was driving me crazy!  There were 3 girls ahead of me and with every girl going in and coming out I debated just going on, but knew that would be crazy!  So I waited and watched as every single runner passed us by.  Yep, every one.  Even the walking grandmas.  (I'm not being rude, it was written on their shirts!)  So after I made my lightning fast stop, I was headed out again, only this time at the very back of the pack with 5 or 6 minutes to make up.  I mean really!  How was I ever going to do that?  After I passed the walkers I played a game the rest of the race.  It was called, "Get the girl in the (insert color here) shorts/shirt".  I was pushing it the whole race and still felt good.  I kept doing a mental inventory that I need to NEVER do again.  It was all about "where do I hurt?" and then the list began: my calves and ankles are tight, my hip flexors are tight, my right foot hurts, my lungs are on fire, my shoulders are tight.  I tried to relax everything and knew that the calves and ankles would work themselves out by mile 5.  I tried longer strides to stretch out the hip flexors and would periodically roll my shoulders.  The foot pain disappeared as mysteriously as it came.

About half way through I could see Janzen parked up ahead off the side of the road and it boosted me.  I took the shirt off that was tied around my waist and got ready to hand it off.  I stopped and gave him a quick kiss, he told me how proud he was of me and I had a little jolt and took off again.  I started my game again and girl with green shorts was finally within reach.  At mile 7 I decided to take a gel.  The station was within reach and so I squeezed it in and looked for water.  No water.  Now what to do?  I had already swallowed it.  I didn't want to drink Powerade on top of it, but what choice did I have?  I drank a little bit of my drink and just hoped I'd be o.k.  It wasn't too long before I could feel it settling in my stomach like a big rock.  The next station had water and I drank it hoping that all the running would slosh it around and it would mix o.k.  I continued with my game and although the gel didn't feel good, I kept going.  I took several little walking breaks and then could push it again.  Girl with gray tights and black running skirt, I never could get you!

Before long, I was back in town and it was just a mile left.  I could see where the finish line was and pushed it more.  I could see Janzen.  I was hurting, but was so excited to be done and feel good overall.  I never saw an official finish line.  I didn't know when to stop running.  I collected my medal, handed in my timing chip and grabbed some bread and an orange and we took off!  I don't know what my "official time" was, but my Garmin said 2:10.  I was happy with that.

It was a pretty flat course with just little rolling hills.  It was along the lake for the most part and was perfect temperature.  It was a beautiful day and the best part was having Janzen there all along the way.  In every sense of the word, he is my partner.  He is my support, my biggest cheerleader, and my best friend.  I am so grateful for his sacrifice in my behalf, his encouraging words, his understanding me even when I don't, and his belief in me.  I know I'll never be a world class athlete or even a city class athlete, but I know in his eyes I'll be great.  And that's good enough for me.

Oh the Wisdom and the Pain!

The alarm clock sounded and I simply couldn't believe it was really time.  I had woken up on my own about an hour earlier to eat a banana.  Well o.k., child #3 woke up and surprise, hubby got to her and I didn't hear her!  I just woke up when he got back in bed.  I've been trying some earplugs out for a couple of days to help me sleep better and they work!  However, I was so tired this morning and so I laid there doing a self diagnosis.  Did my calves hurt still?  Yes, but not bad enough not to run.  Did I have a sudden cold or fever hit me?  No.  Dang.  How about my toenails?  Did the two that fell off by force yesterday hurt enough?  No.  I just couldn't think of an excuse that sounded good enough to call Jody and tell her I wasn't going.  So I checked the temperature, 58 degrees, dressed accordingly, got a quick drink and headed out the door.  It was simply one of the most beautiful skies I had ever seen.  Beautiful puffy clouds all over the whole sky with just a hint of what the sunrise would have been, against that perfect blue sky.  I almost ran back inside to take a picture, especially of the mountains in the background.  I am so glad I didn't miss that view.  Gorgeous.  

I picked up Jody and we headed out.  She was really cruising down the first street and I thought to myself, as my calves were getting tighter and tighter with each step, that I was in for it today.  I hoped I'd be able to keep up with her.  We ran up the first big hill and that made my legs hurt even more.  But by about mile 4 or so, they were completely loosened up and feeling good.  I don't know why it takes my legs so long to get in the groove.  I know I was sore and all, but still!  Jody kept me entertained as she sung to me what was on her i pod.  I really like running with her.  We have about the same pace and I hope she'll make me faster and I'll help her go farther.  So as we were about ready to turn the corner for the downhill to home, and we were both discussing our body hurting places, I was complaining to her (imagine that!) about how I wished that I could just have mind over matter.  Wouldn't that be nice?  I could do anything!  Then Jody, in all her wisdom, said, "Then it wouldn't ever be Heavenly Father's will."  Wise girl.  She probably didn't know how deeply that hit home to me.  But it's something I'll probably remember forever and repeat to myself often.  So thanks Jody, for the run, the pain, and the wisdom!  Oh and Jody, I did go back to bed.  Sorry, but it's summer after all!