I'll Take It However It Comes

Some of my favorite aspects of running have little or nothing to do with running itself (have you noticed?). For instance, I love seeing Elly in the rear view mirror as she anticipates our outing:

Look close, and you'll see our friend Jacques ready to go, too.

I love having to accommodate Jacques:

"Last night, the kitty saw the error in her ways of yesterday's
assault and came to apologize. We made up, and that's cool ...

... Also cool is my super-comfy new place
to hang out in the car after the run! This is
way better than being dropped on the floor.
Booyah! I rule."

And, I do so love Elly's floppy ears when she runs. I love watching them when she decides to go fast enough to be in front of me. She ran behind me today (which was actually a bit of a pain because she was slowing me down considerably; it's not like I go at a breakneck speed ...), but I still got to see those ears fly in the car!

Some days, it just has to be the little things that motivate the run. Today was fine, it just wasn't especially interesting. It won't get any easier for a while, either, as motivation can be tough in the winter months when there's not much going on in terms of scenery. This winter, though, I'll be putting in half marathon training ... I've never done that in the winter. In fact, this past summer when I was training and it was so blazing hot, I remember thinking to myself, "Maybe I should pick a half where my training months are in the cold ..." I'm about to get what I asked for ...

In the meantime, I have a new Unexpected Benefit of Running: Mowing and mulching and preparing the garden areas for winter did not wear me out! That's the kind of stuff that tends to whip me. It just didn't today (even after a run!), and there's no way that's not a direct result of running.

I'm still looking forward to a really fun benefit: Major Sledding Energy! I guess that will have to wait, though. So, for now, I'm looking forward to tomorrow's Rest Day! Enjoy Monday ... not always easy, but always worth it!