Short Legs and Double Duty

I went to bed early last night, excited to wake up at 4 and run with Nixa Running.  When my alarm went off at 4 am, I wasn't as excited as I was when I went to bed.  I am really glad I did go run, though.  They are a nice group!  I ran the majority of the time and took a few more walk breaks towards the end of the run.  I was told we did 4 miles today!  I enjoy running with people.  I really think this is going to be a regular thing!

I was surprised when I saw what time it was when we were done; it was before 6 am.  I was just going to run, shower and clean up, and go to work for the day, but when I got to the fitness center, boot camp was just starting.  Sooo, I went to boot camp!  I am crazy, but I had fun.  I think I will be doing double on Tuesdays and Thursdays.  I think that will help increase my fitness and my weight loss. 

I am 5'11" and a half!  I am .5 inches away from being 6 foot!  I am so stinking close to the 6 foot mark, it drives me nuts!  My legs are not long. I am all torso.  Jenn and I found out last night that if we stand hip to hip, our hips touch at the same spot.  Jenn is 5'2".  My legs are the length of a 5'2" person.  It is no wonder I have always been a slow walker/runner.   How does that even work?!?!!?

Happy Thursday, everyone!

Not Feeling Good

I was up all night last night.  I felt very sick to my stomach.  I went to Subway for lunch.  I got the veggie sub, and almost right after I ate it, my stomach felt weird.  I got back to work and had to run to the bathroom.  My stomach hurt all day, and I was hoping it would feel better after a good night's sleep, but I was up fighting it all night.  I really won't go into details.

I have only missed a few runs this year. The frustrating thing is that the run I missed was going to be my first with the Nixa running group.  I helped out at a 5k they put on and had a lot of fun getting to know them.  I was really excited to run with the group.

I am going to skip boot camp this Thursday and run with them then.

Vegetarian Week

Jenn and I decided to have a Vegetarian Week.  We do not have plans on becoming vegetarian; we just want to try new recipes.  So this week, we are not eating meat.  We have found a handful of recipes that look good.  Tonight, I think we are having a sweet tofu stir fry. 

We were going to start yesterday, but my good friend, Scott, came over to my parents' last night, and we had dinner with him and his wife.  We had a really good time and talked about a lot of funny things that happened back in high school.  We ate steaks wrapped in bacon, Filet Mignon.  Kind of the anti-vegetarian meal. 

Today's boot camp was good.  Lots of sprints.

Do you have any vegetarian recipes you want to share? Feel free to leave them in the comments!  We are always looking for new things to try!

Blood, Sweat and Toe Nails

I can now say I have finished a double digit run.  I ran 11 miles this last Saturday, and it was a good first 9 miles and a really hard mental battle the last 2. 

We started at 6 am.  We started on a good pace and had a lot of fun conversations.  On part of our course, we had to double back and make a loop through a neighborhood just to make sure we got our two miles in.  Well when we were getting to the double back part of the run, the 4-1 group lapped us!  Some of them will qualify for Boston, so we have some really fast people who use the Galloway method. 

On the good side, when we got to the 9 mile mark, I felt a lot better than how I felt when I finished 9 miles last time.  I truly think the last 2 miles were just mental for me.  My foot was hurting, and I was bleeding on my right side.  I got a bug bite or something the day before, and my shirt rubbed the spot bloody.  The only reason I knew about it is because at mile 10, one of the other runners told me that I was bleeding... a lot.  I didn't even want to look at it. I said, "Oh well, I'll look at it when I am done."  "Said like a true runner," she said. 

It was so hot and humid that morning.  I sweat through my shirt, and I could've watered my lawn with all the sweat I had.  I was proud of myself.  I really felt I hydrated and ate well when running.  We finished the run in 2:44.  Very slow, and some people do a full marathon in that time, but how many people can say they are doing what I did!

When I was done, my legs and feet hurt really bad.  I just wanted to lay on the floor and do nothing, but I knew that was the worst thing I could do.  I went to the Meyer Center with my wife.  I bought a new shirt, because I didn't want to walk around a bloody mess.  I decided I was going to do some water walking and stretch in the pool.  I took my shirt and shoes off and looked down. My toe nail on my left foot started throbbing, and it was changing colors.  I have been told it is a rite of passage for runners to lose a toe nail.  I have a feeling I will lose this one before my training is done.

The pool is just what I needed.  I walked and stretched and felt really good after.  I took a small nap and just had an enjoyable rest of the weekend.  I love that I am running, and that I am living healthy,  even if it causes me to bleed.  Come run with me!

It Is FRIDAY

Hey, everyone!  I love that it is Friday.  Last day of the work week, and a fun weekend coming up. 

Something interesting happened at work yesterday.  At lunch, I was talking with my coworkers about this 11 mile run I am going to do on Saturday.  I guess somewhere in talking I said, "I only did 5.5 miles the week before." I guess I said it in a way that made it sound like 5 miles is nothing.  One of my coworkers said, "Do you realize that you just said ONLY 5 MILES?  Chris, can you believe that you are saying that!"

I guess I did. When you are thinking about running over 11 miles, a 5 mile run isn't all that bad.  I am excited to be putting in these kind of miles.  I am loving my new lifestyle.

Keep working hard.  What kind of weekend plans/races/runs do you have!

Three Things Thursday

It is Thursday.  One day closer to the weekend.  I am really excited about this weekend as well.  Let me tell you why!

1.  This Friday, I will be helping out with a 5k.  I have a long run on Saturday so I did not want to run in this race.  So I decided to help out instead!  I am really excited, because the OMRR and Nixa Running are putting it on, and I have enjoyed becoming active with those organizations.  I love the running communities. 

2. Saturday morning is my long run.  11 miles.  Let me repeat that.  11 miles.  That is the double digits.  I am nervous, because it is such a far distance for me, and my heal hurt a little today at boot camp.  I am going to take it easy Friday and have an enjoyable run on Saturday.  Just want to say it again.  11 miles..........

3. My parents are taking my kids to Cars 2 Saturday night.  That means DATE NIGHT!!!  We are going to cook a nice dinner and make banana splits after.  We would go out somewhere, but it costs a lot of money, and we are broke as a joke right now.  So we will hit up Redbox or watch some of our good ol' neighbors blow up some fireworks. 

I am excited for the weekend.  What do you have planned?  I love hearing from you.

Also, what kind of socks do you use when running?  I am needing some new ones.

Evening Run

I missed my run this morning, because I was up late last night waiting for Jenn to get home.  I was so tired.  I got home from work tonight with the intent to go on a run but kept putting it off.  I ate dinner, then checked email, Facebook. traveled through time (look at my Facebook status for that story.) I just kept putting it off. 

That is when I looked at my running shoes.  They just screamed at me.  Get off your butt and run!  So I ran.  It was a perfect run.  I just ran for two miles, but the weather was great.  Micah needed 3 dollars for summer school, so I ran to the gas station, got the cash, and ran back.  The sun was setting.  The fireflies were out.  It was such a peaceful, therapeutic run.  It was the first time I ran in the evening, and I liked it. 

Let's stop making up excuses.  Get off your butt, and go do something!  Let's not put off what we need to do!  You will never know how amazing you will feel.

How Did I Used To Do That

If Jenn is not here, I cannot sleep.  Jenn went to the Michael Buble concert last night and didn't get home until midnight.  Then, she told me all about it.  I didn't get to sleep until 12:45 last night.  I have not stayed up that late this year.  I do not even remember my alarm going off this morning.  Jenn and I rolled out of bed at 6:30 this morning.

I didn't get my run in this morning, but I will run tonight.  This will also be a first for me.  I always run in the morning.  I cannot miss a run!

I do not know how I used to stay up all night partying, studying, or whatevering and then waking up early and functioning.  I am so tired right now.  How did I used to do that....

I am still fundraising for the American Cancer Society.  I have to raise $1000!  I could use your help.  Please go to my link and donate. Thanks!

Mountain Climbers

I hate/love mountain climbers.  They are a great workout but kick my trash.  Steve thought it would be a good idea to do about a million of them today in boot camp.  We did 20 seconds of jumping jacks then 20 seconds of mountain climbers four times.  Then, we did 20 seconds of planks and 20 seconds of mountain climbers four times.  After that, we did 20 seconds of crunches and then 20 seconds of mountain climbers four times.  We also did a lot of other things, but man... mountain climbers hurt. 

No fans this is not me, but it will be soon!

I am on kid duty all alone tonight.  It makes my wife laugh when I say I am babysitting my own kids.  She is going to the Michael Buble concert tonight.  First dinner with my parents and a few of their friends, and then she's going to watch Mr. Bubbly sing.  She deserves a good night out.  I am sure she will have a great time.  I am also sure the kids and I will be watching a lot of Disney shows tonight.  Maybe we will watch Cars to get them ready for Cars 2 this weekend.

I am also happy to report that my heel felt a lot better in today's workout.  It is a little sore right now, but I will continue to ice it, and take it easy.  I want to be ready for my 11 mile run this weekend.

Hurt But Still Going Strong

Last Saturday, my training group ran 5.5 miles. My heel starting hurting again during the run. To help ease the pain, I rolled a frozen water bottle under my foot and took some Tylenol when needed. (Thanks for the advice, Cindy & Mom!) That helped a great deal!

Today, I decided to skip my run to take it easy. Instead, I used the elliptical by my mom and bike by my dad at the gym. It was a good for me since I was still able to get a great cardio workout, and it was low impact on my feet. I'm glad there are plenty of options for getting in shape. If I'm unable to go running, I can choose to do another activity instead.

8 Hours Of Sleep

I got a whole 8 hours of sleep last night, and I got 7 the night before.  It is amazing how you feel when you sleep at night!  My workouts felt so much better.  This is what I am learning about myself on this journey, and it is pretty cool.

Everyone knows sleep is important, but until you start working out and putting a lot of strain on your body daily, you never really know how important it is.

Five mile run coming up on Saturday.  I am excited for the run.  Life is good.  It's Friday!!!!

Cake Is A Sometimes Food

I know that I am not supposed to reward my hard work with food.  I have read it, I have heard it, and in my mind, I wasn't rewarding myself.  I have realized that I was justifying eating junk, because I was working out a lot.  I think I knew this all along but did not want to accept it.  Just because I lost 7 lbs. does not mean I get to eat 7 lbs. worth of cookies. 

The hard part about this is that I need to find a balance.  Yes, I am not supposed to reward my hard work with eating, but I do need to have things I enjoy every now and then.  I think that is where my justification was coming into play.  "I am not rewarding myself. I am just treating myself to a treat."  Well when I do that every other day, it is not helping me.


Cake is a sometimes food.

 Cake and cookies are sometimes foods.  Like birthday parties and special occasions.  Losing 5 lbs. is not a special occasion.  Two Philly Cheesesteaks is not a birthday party.  So, my new mantra has been, "Food is not a reward, food is fuel."  I need to find other healthy ways to reward myself for good choices.

What do you do to reward hard work?  I need to keep feeling good about my hard work but not with food.  HELP!

I Have A Plan...

Good morning!

I have been talking a lot about my career and what I want to do for the rest of my life, and I think I have decided what I want to pursue.  My friend, Shane, sent me an e-mail after reading my post about going to nursing school.  He suggested I study to be a physical therapist assistant.  He is in school to be a physical therapist right now. A few days ago, he was working on someone and thought to himself, "Chris would be good at this."  We talked on the phone for a good hour.  I started researching the programs here in Springfield and really got excited about it.

I remembered one of my friends, Brandon, is currently going through the program.  I called him last night, and we talked for a while about it.  He was telling me what to expect, how hard it is to get into the program, and about possible directions I could go with this degree.  He confirmed my desire to do this.  It just keeps feeling like the right thing to do.

The other programs I was looking into seemed fun, but when I heard about the PTA program, I really felt like that is what I needed to pursue.  Anyone who knows me well knows that I can get excited about something and talk a bunch about it. When I hit a road block, then I might lose interest.  I have to really want it to stick with it.  I have already hit a lot of road blocks and things that will make this hard, but I am still excited, and I am finding out ways to get around them.  I know running and getting healthy has helped me become the kind of person who will not be discouraged and find ways to make this happen.

Before I can even get into the program, I need to take 2-4 classes.  I am hoping it's only two.  I am going to be talking to the school and finding out for sure.  Then, I have to apply for the program.  They take 24 people.  When Brandon applied, there were 100 people trying to get in.  So it is hard to get into. However, I know that if I work hard and really show that this is something I want to do, then I will get in.  It might take me a year, but it will be worth it.

Speed work today was okay.  I was a little late getting to the track and then my foot started hurting again.  I didn't complete the work out.  It is frustrating to have this pain.  I want it to go away, and I do not want it to effect my progress......

A Man Must Consistantly Exceed His Level

My old roommate and really good friend, Tom, sent me a link to a really cool photo of Bruce Lee and his workout partner.

Click on it to see a larger version

We will hit plateaus, and we will hit obstacles, but we still have to push through them.  We should not put limits on what we can do.  We can always do more and work a little harder and go a little further. We just have to keep going forward.

Thanks for sharing this with me, Tom!  Tom and I are also talking about running a marathon a year.  We will make it a tradition.  We would run a different one in every state and become a part of the Marathon Fanatics club!

I got some new shoes yesterday.  They are Saucony Progrid Ride 3's.  They feel great on my feet! They were my least favorite style of shoe but felt the best.  I knew I needed to get what felt better and not just style.  I was professionally fitted at The Starting Block.  Melissa did a great job!

Jenn and I did our own boot camp at home today, because she needed the van.  We worked our butts off.  I think Steve would've been proud of what I put Jenn and I through today!

Busy Humbling Weekend

This weekend was a good, busy and humbling weekend.  On Saturday, I was up early, ready for my run.  9 miles!  I was a little nervous to go, but once we got started, I just tried to think of it as any other run and enjoy talking with my group.  A learned a lot on this run.  I have to get a water belt and food to eat while running.  It's a good thing my group has some experienced people in it, and they took care of me with food and drinks.  At about 7.5 miles, the left side of my chest really started hurting.  Andrea, my group leader, made sure I took it easy, and we walked for several minutes to make sure I was okay.  I was grateful for that, because it really hurt. I have never experienced anything like that.  I was able to finish my run, though.  It was hot and humid, but it was also very cool to say I was able to finish a 9 mile run! 

That night, I spent the night at my parents' house, because I was waking up very early the next morning and heading out to Joplin with my dad.  We met with over 150 members of our faith in our surrounding area and processed work orders to help people from the tornado that destroyed 1/3 of the town. Words really cannot describe what we saw.  We helped gut a home and move everything to the curb, so clean-up crews could come by and pick up all the debris.  We also helped someone clear his land of all the downed trees he had.  It was over 5 acres, and he lost about half of his trees.  It was a hard day's work, but it felt really great helping people.

Today's run was really hard.  After my long run on Saturday and a day of hard work on Sunday, my legs did not want to get started. About 1.5 miles into my run, my foot really started hurting.  I think it's time for new shoes.  I saw my parents at the gym and told Mom about my foot. We are going to get some new shoes today.

What did you do this weekend?

Going Back To School

This year has been a great year, and I have been working on Operation Discover Myself. I really want to discover what I should do the rest of my life.  Getting in shape has given me the confidence to really start trying to do this.

My degree is in Communication.  It is such a broad degree, and so many people have it.  It also means so many different things to different people.  When I thought about becoming a high school teacher, the college said I could teach drama or speech with that degree.  I took two speech classes, and drama was its own department at BYU-Idaho.  So if I go back to school, I want to make sure I can specialize in something I love.

I have been thinking about nursing school.  I have been told several times that I have the aptitude and personality for it.  I think it would be just right for me.  I wouldn't be stuck behind a desk, and I would be working with and helping people.

So, I have several hoops to jump through.  I had good grades in college, not amazing grades, but that was because I was more interested in my social life or video games.  I now have to take a few classes to even be considered, AND I might need to retake a class or two just to bring up those grades to get in.  It is a very competitive thing to get into.

I have talked to some of my friends who are nurses, and I really want to make sure this is right for me before I do it.  I am feeling good about it.  Let me know what you think.

Rest day today.  I have my 9 miles in the morning tomorrow.

Three Things Thursday

Happy Thursday, everyone!  This is going to be a great day!  One day closer to the weekend!  So it is Three Things Thursday, and I am excited to share these things with you!

1. I am really excited about this weekend.  I have a nine mile run planned for the morning.  My wife is getting a haircut by my sister, Jeni.  (If you need someone to cut your hair, she is the best!).  We might go to my sister's pool after and have lunch with them.  Then, we are making dinner for some friends from Church.  They are full-time missionaries, and it's fun to feed them and talk about things.  We are making Philly Cheesesteaks!  That night, I will be sleeping at my parents' and getting up super early in the morning to go to Joplin with my dad and do some service for the people whose homes were destroyed in the tornado.  Ever exciting weekend.

2. Jenn and I have been a one-car family, because that is all we can afford.  It is time that we get a new car.  We do not have a lot of money, and we are not looking for a fancy car, just enough to get me to work and back.  Micah is starting school, and the bus may not come to our house.  So, we need a way for him to get to school when the weather is bad.  So if anyone knows of any good deals or places I can go to look for cars, please let me know.

3. I have a few blogs that I love and that I read daily.  I wanted to share two of them with you today.

Racing With Babes is great.  I love her posts!  She is upbeat and makes me laugh.  She writes about how she balances her family, work and training.  She works hard no matter what.  Four weeks ago, she wrecked hard on her bike and had to have surgery.  With her arm in a sling, she still ran a 5k with her friends and got a good time.  She is a rock star and people should follow her blog.

See Mom Run Far is also great.  The daily adventures of a mom with 12 kids who loves to run!  She has already ran 1000 miles this year and doing it with 12 kids!  I thought my three was a lot of work.  As I was searching for blogs and found hers, I thought she could be a member of my Church. Guess what? The next day, one of her posts had a quote from the leadership of our faith!  I thought that was really cool.  She loves to run marathons.  She started running to get in shape and fell in love with the sport.  A mother of 12 who runs, blogs, and does it well is an all-star in my book.  She also reads and comments on my blog every now and then!  Thank you!

Please follow these blogs. They are great people and have a lot of great things to say! 

Have a great Thursday!  What is on your mind today?

Growing Pains... No Thanks

I know every day cannot be a good day.  I try to stay positive and upbeat, but dang it, today sucked.  I was very excited about speed work today.  I was there on time, and I felt good. But, not even a lap into the run, my ankle started hurting a little.  I thought, "Just work through the pain, and it will go away."  Well it didn't, and by my second 800, I was in pain!  My ankle hurt, and it spread up into my shin.  So I stopped running and walked a half mile hoping it would start to feel better.  It did a little, but I knew as soon as I stopped and sat down it would tighten up, and it did.

I know I will need to ice it a lot tonight and take it easy, because I don't want to have a serious injury.  I also think my pride was hurt as well because of it happening in front of my running group.  If I was out running alone and was forced to walk, I would have walked and not worried, but I was worried about what the others would think.  I was worried that people would say, "How is he going to run a marathon if he cannot even last a speed workout?"  I know it is silly, but those are the thoughts that went through my head. 

So, chalk this one up as a learning experience.  I will get iced up and take it easy at boot camp on Thursday.  I will take a serious rest day on Friday, so I will be ready for my 9 miles this Saturday.  9 MILES!!  That is just crazy to think about!  I am excited for it!

Life Goals

My weight and inactive lifestyle truly defined who I was and how I thought of myself.  I did not think I was good enough for really anything.  I once had a boss tell me that I would never get a good job, because no one would hire an overweight person.  I baulked at that notion but accepted it at the same time.  I did not think I was good enough or even deserved something better than what I had.

Yesterday, I read Sunday's Pearls Before Swine comic, and at first I laughed, but then I really started thinking about where I am now and what I want to do.

The old me would have just accepted this as my reality, but now I really want to live.  I know we have to work and pay bills, but do we have to do something you hate day in and day out?  I am good enough to find a job that I will enjoy.  I am a people person, and I love to work with others.  I am a positive person, and I like to laugh.  I do not enjoy being stuck behind a desk 8+ hours a day doing the same thing over and over again.

So, Operation Discover Myself has been implemented.  I am not going to sell all of my possessions and move my family to Cancun, Mexico. (Don't tempt me.) But I am going to really discover what I love and what I want to do and really work towards it, just like I have with my health.  I really wanted to start running, and I have done it.  I am doing it.  I will take this heavy step in my life and work towards bettering myself for myself and my family.  No more just getting by, no more accepting my fate.  I am in charge of who I am and what I work towards.

I want to share an amazing video I saw last night.  Be motivated, and do not be discouraged!  Take those heavy steps.  They are heavy because they are hard, but they get easier and lighter!

Weekend Running Recap

Saturday was one of the best days I have had in a very long time.  We started the day off by waking up at 5:30 am.  We got ready for the race.  Micah was so excited.  We met at my mom's office right next to the Meyer Center to meet up with everyone.

Micah's race was first, and we took a shuttle to the starting line.  There were different heats in this race, but instead of running in our assigned heats, we ran with Micah.  So our official times are pretty funny.  Micah ran the whole time!  He was so cute.  He thought everyone was cheering just for him.  One of his running class coaches saw him and cheered him on.  At about 3/4 a mile, he looked at me and said, "Dad...  This is HARD."  The whole race we complemented him and told him how proud we were of him.  He did an amazing job and ran his mile just over 13 minutes.  He is going to be a running rock star!

After Micah's race, we didn't have much time to rest before our 5k.  We met up with Paul and lined up to start.  They shut down National St. right in front of the Myer Center for this!  We wanted to find someone that was going to be running around Jenn's pace and put her up front.  She did amazing and ran her race in just over 25 minutes.  That was a new PR for her.  Paul ran with me again, and we did the 1 min run/1 min walk intervals.  We had a pretty good time and had a lot of fun doing it.  We laughed and joked most of the race.  We finished in just over 40 minutes.  This was my sister Jeni's first race, and she walked with my mom for the majority of it.  The last 3/10 of a mile they ran!  They did their race in just over 47 minutes!  That was very good.  They walked at a good pace and then kicked in at the end!  I'm very proud of her, and I think she might have caught the running/walking bug!  Hope to see her at more races!

After the race, Paul drove me to where my running group was, and he ran another 3 miles with me.  I ran a total of 7 miles that day and 13 miles for the week.  That is the farthest I have gone in one week!  Very cool.

Jenn and I also went on a date that night and had sushi at a place called Izumi Hatake Sushi Bar & Grill.  The food was AMAZING!  I highly recommend it to anyone!  Then, we went to the arcade 1984 and played all the good old school games.  We had a lot of fun.  Saturday was an amazing day.

Today, I could not get my legs going the way I wanted to.  I was still sore from Saturday.  I did get my 2.5 miles in this morning, but man, was it hard to get moving.  I was hoping that after the first few minutes my legs would loosen up, but they didn't.  I will ice them, and I hope I will be ready to go again Tuesday. 

Happy Monday!!!

Rest Days Don't Mean I'm Lazy

I have to tell myself that every Friday now.  My body needs a rest day before my long runs!  I feel like I am lazy and not working hard enough when I take a rest day.  I know it is silly, but it's true.  My back will even hurt a little when I don't work out that day.  Please remind me that reset days are just as important as working out....

Saturday is going to be a good day.  We are going to race and run with Micah and have a great morning.  Also, Jenn and I are going to go on a much needed date night.  We are going to go get sushi, and that is as far as we got.  We don't want to do the movie thing.  Any ideas on a good date night activity?  We are both lame and cannot think of anything fun.  We could use your ideas.

Thanks everyone, and HAPPY FRIDAY!

Thursday's Three Things!

Well, it's Thursday, and I have started doing the Three Things Thursdays like a lot of the other blogs I read.  So here we go!

1. I had one of those what-the-heck-am-I-doing-at-the-gym-at-6 am moments today.  I rolled out of bed this morning just exhausted.  I went to bed a little late but nothing abnormal.  I just did not want to get going today.  Then at boot camp, Steve was having us do all these crazy balancing workouts that were just a little advanced for me.  I was frustrated, wanted to call it a day, crawl back into bed and wake up on Friday.  I guess you have to have days like that to appreciate the good days.  Let's hope work is better today.

2. My wife updated her blog last night.  Check it out.  She is a very talented writer and an amazing wife and mom!  The post is about how my stinker daughter likes to get into a little bit of trouble.

3. My son finished his last running class last night.  He wasn't feeling well yesterday, so he didn't improve his time, but that is alright.  He got a new tech shirt and is really excited for the race on Saturday.  We will make sure to post lots of photos. At one point in the class, Micah didn't want to run anymore, so one of the coaches asked him if he wanted to run with him.  Micah put his hand out and said, "Okay."  So Micah held Craig's hand and ran with him the rest of the way in.  It was very funny.

Life is good.  Wish I had a few more hours of sleep.  I think I will take a rest day tomorrow and spend sometime in the hot tub.  Saturday will be a big running day for us.  Jenn wants to have a relaxing Saturday night as well.  I am trying to talk her into doing something fun...  We will see how it goes!

National Running Day and Speed Work

I stole this from Richard Johnson who is in my running club.  I LOVE IT!

"National Running Day is today (Wed., 6/1/11). I see National Running Day as a special day for non-runners. [It] is THE day that you lace up some sneakers, and go out there and run/jog/walk a mile, the beginning of a lifelong romance between you and running. If you're already a runner, get out there and renew your vows."

Today was the first day of Speed Work!  I will be honest, I was intimidated by the thought.  People from the faster groups come and work on it, but I wanted to try it.  I am glad I did because it was a lot of fun.  Heather, the yellow team leader, was there, and we were able to run the drills together.  We were the only two yellow team members there.  It is nice to run with someone at your pace and level.  It doesn't hurt when they are a nice person as well.  We are going to try to get more of our team coming!

Have a great National Running Day.  Let me know how your run went today.  If it was your first, if you started up again, or if it was just another great run day, let me know!