Big Picture Prevails. Always.

What's very cool about running for me is the bigger picture: I came home from this morning's outing to a family who cheered the effort; I received an email from a friend letting me know she was rooting me on, and, even though she didn't get to join me, Elly greeted me with her very, very waggy tail. When I started running in the first place, I did not see that it would thread its way into so many pieces of my life.

And, it rocks.

Before getting to these bigger picture moments, I first had a few steps to take! I was smart enough to get to bed early enough last night to accommodate the 6 a.m. wake up. That was a good call for sure! Without real issue, I was up, dressed, stretched and out the door with the hopes of finishing these 12 miles without any real issues, with the ability to just carry on with the rest of my day without too many moans and groans, and to return home with a penny in my pocket. Hope number three came early:

I caught it out of the corner of my eye before rounding out the
first mile! It was in danger of falling into the drain, too. Good
thing I was there, huh?

That was a big moment as it allowed my money count to leap on to the $2 mark! Awesome! And, with that desire out of the way, the pressure was off to find more today, so perhaps I could run looking forward rather than looking off to the side ... right? Whatev! I tried, but I'm so compelled to seek out the change!!

And, check out what looking sideways did for me because I would not have seen this with my eyes forward:

That same, lovely orb is about to get high
enough to pummel me in just a few miles.
I guess you take the good with the bad!

It was right after rounding mile three when I had to tackle some internal talk. It's when I realize I just completed a 5K's worth of distance that something inside me clicks and makes me think, "You know, if this were a 5K, you'd totally be finished." That's not helpful when you need to do that distance three more times, and I've learned to push through that "could be finished" thought instead of letting it envelop me. Learning these internal cues has been key to not defeating myself because that "just finished" thought is very inviting!

On I went encountering many runners out and about this morning. I would like to note that almost every one of them was very friendly which is just the way I like it! Oh, and here's the tree I wanted to show last week but it was way too foggy to do so:

Isn't it gnarly in many senses of the word?
Last week, it had no leaves making the
branches more pronounced. It's still super
cool, though. And, I feel it wise to note it
as such, or I'm afraid it might reach out and
grab me some day. Doesn't it look the type?
I think so, so I respect the tree.

On and on and on (and on!) I went, finding some treasures, waving to runners, saying hi to my friend on his bike and, evidently, scratching an itch on my arm really, really hard:

A bunch of miles worth of sweat will make
for some sensitive skin. Itch with care.

This whole run really came down to the last two miles for me. Why? Because I knew what was coming from mile 10 to 11 ... my current least favorite hill. It's not as long as others (um, still kinda long ...), but it is sharp on the ol' incline. And, of course, it hurts. There are times I've opted to walk up it because my calves start screaming, and I'd prefer to not pull a muscle to prove a point no one cares about. I don't even care about such a point; I care about staying in tact!

Today, I was determined to make sure I ran up it to keep my mental game going ... given I don't know the course I'm taking on for the Half, I don't want to train my mind to wander to the walking option every time I see a hill. I'm not against a necessary walk, I just don't want that as a go-to for myself.

I'd stretched accordingly and was mentally ready, but there is no part about this 10-to-11 length I was looking foward to. Nice that it was almost at the end, then, huh?! Great planning! Anyway, long story short, I ran right on up! If you call my slow jog a run (ha!), and if it counts that I stopped to pick up a DIME!

Big Picture: Totally Counts!

The last mile was pretty easy breezy in comparison. I even realized while out there that going from mile 10 to 11 even with that hill felt about the same as going from Start to mile 1 on my very first 5K. Seriously. That's pretty sweet! For all of the victorious moments and all of the happy tales I tell, would you like to know what I look like right after a 12-miler?

The face kinda tells its own tale, doesn't it?

But, give me a few moments of rest, a cold bottle of water and a Diet Coke -- thanks to the Pit Crew leader! -- and you have a pretty happy gal!

Thirteen cents for 12 miles ... booyah!!!

That's a 35-mile week in the books. I'm pretty proud of that! It was all capped off by my returning home to find PC2 making a post-run blueberry pancake breakfast!!

Oh, yum, yum!! Blueberries in my favorite Fiber One pancake
mix!! So fabulous!! Can't you smell 'em?? Mmmm ...

There are hardly any miles left on my countdown!! Yeah!!! I'll ponder that while I REST tomorrow!!

Throwback Inspiration

Thanks to my enjoyment of Runner's World, Self and Better Homes & Gardens magazines, I had a pile. Like this:

This is only part of the pile. We've all been there.

So, I turned it into this:

How many of these have we made in our lives?! Some of us
have made a bunch, and they're still fun!

One of my favorite parts? This:

Ah, Elly the Hound. Tireless? Used to be. Fast? Really, not ever
(thankfully as it's her pace I adopted to get my long-distance
 ball rolling!). Always up for a run? ALWAYS!

This collage is a nice representation of what my brain must look like sometimes while I run. Anything I can do to inspire myself, I'll do it!

"When you're a kitty, you need no inspiration because everyone
does everything for you. It's cool. I'd say you should try it, but
then you'd no longer be working for me ... and, it's all about me."

Here's to a great rest of Rest Day and a great run tomorrow! I'm hoping to finish those twelve miles with at least one penny ... it's about time to cross that $2 mark, don't you think? I do!! See you then!

Girls' Morning Out!

In the wee hours of the morning, there was rain, thunder, the works. I just knew I'd be forced on to the dreadmill which not only bummed me out for my whiney sake, but today was a day I could also take Elly, so I wanted that to happen.

And, happen it did!! Hooray!!!

That just passed, and there was some trailing it. Fortunately,
it didn't produce anything while we were out. Woohoo!

That cloud cover made running with Elly perfect ... not too hot for her, no squinting for me. We both win!

"Check me out, Mommy!! I'm running!! I'm ruuuunnninnggg!"
I'm sooo happppyyyyyyyy!!

"Did you see me, Mommy? Did you?! Thank you thank you
thank you for brining me thank you thank you!! I love you!"

You know, you would think taking on 3 miles after the 11, 4 and 5 days I've had this week would have been a piece of cake. (Ooo ... cake ... yummy ...) But, it seems the short days can be some of the more difficult. It probably has zero to do with the miles being fewer as much as it does with my legs being ready for a break! I also am acutely aware that I can crank out three miles pretty quickly if I want to, so I get the idea in my head that I just want to get it done. Honestly, that's not the greatest strategy for me! Consistency all the way around is my better way to go.

Regardless of the reason these shorter runs give me grief, that life lesson of not giving up comes into play with this running thing for me All. The. Time. I was rounding out a mile and a half this morning when I could all but hear my mom in my head reminding me to finish what you start, and just because it's hard doesn't mean you quit. Sage advice for sure. By the way, her words never addressed the pain sometimes involved in keep-on-keepin'-on, so I'll do it for you: Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow ...

And, as usual, the this-does-not-feel-comfortable feeling subsided, and I rejoiced just a little that not only was there only one mile remaining, but also that tomorrow is Rest Day. Oh, yeah ... it sure is ...

Elly and I stayed strong, took the run to task no matter how it felt, and we celebrated with some puppy love:

Doesn't she look regal?

The girl acts coy, but she's always up for some cuddlin'.

See you tomorrow on ... what day? REST DAY!!!

"Life Isn't Always Pretty" ... But, It's Good!

Have I mentioned that this running thing tends to really cramp my sleep-later desire? Just sayin' ...

I don't think I was quite awake this morning when I headed out, but that's okay. I think I spend much of the first mile or two a little out of it adjusting both my brain and body to realize, "Oh, this really is what I'm doing right now." Seems weird, but it is part of my daily process!!

While in that mode, I noticed a lot of air traffic this morning. Everywhere I looked, planes!

I kept thinking, "I bet they're covering 5 miles a whole lot faster
than I'm about to ..." The plane is almost right in the middle of
the picture, but if you can't see it, that's okay because the sky
was awesome, don't you think?

Okay, so the run as a whole was pretty uneventful. No money found. No critters (except that dead opossum from the other day? Yeah, it's still there along with a new, predictable development: permeating odor). Big hills conquered. Down hills most appreciated. Lots of people going to work.

I will note that a whole mess of people going to work got a great show today (and they are all welcome). Check it out:

Mere seconds after the injury. It's like those
pictures of seeing a baby only minutes old.
But, nothing like that at all.

Pop Quiz Time. I got this from:

a) Tripping on the sidewalk because I was looking sideways for money

b) Falling in the street while avoiding a car because I was in hot pursuit of a penny

c) Taking a misstep off a curb when stopping to say hi to another friend out running

If you picked (a), I totally understand and myself have wondered how that's not yet happened.

If you chose (b), I need to mention that I have standards for what I'll pursue. Those standards probably seem pretty low, though, so I do get it.

If you picked (c), you are a winner! I had just made it up a very long hill and was pretty pleased with the effort when I saw a friend out running and turning my direction. Because I was about to turn away from her direction, I stopped just long enough to say hello and exchange a quick hug. I stopped, my foot slipped right off the curb, and down I went! Funny how these things happen -- and, so thankful it was just a slip and fall, not an ankle roll (which it very easily could have been)!

We were at a 4-way stop with all ways full of commuters, so most of them got a good going-to-work giggle. I understand because it was a very sudden splat! And, it was quickly clear I wasn't hurt, so there you go. I received an email from aforementioned friend who said remarked that it was such an "us" moment. She wrote: "If you hadn't fallen, I probably would have. Who needs polished runners for people to eyeball on their way to work. It is more fun to see 2 friends run, fall, hug and run on!!!!!! Life isn't always pretty."

Well said, my friend, well said!

Five more miles down ... not many more to go!! More tomorrow ... hopefully with both feet firmly on the ground!

Play Time!

While I don't spend any time at all thinking about winning vs. losing when it comes to running, this Rest Day morning has been chock full of just that!! After going on a walk (where I found a penny and we saw a turtle!), we played Kids vs. Mom at bean-bag toss where I creamed them all three rounds only to have them summarily and decisively kick my can in a game of PIG. Eh, whadda ya do!! It was a blast, and a great way to spend Rest Day's "extra" (aka: otherwise used running) time!

Critters

Happy Monday!! And, what a beautiful start to the day it was! Perfect short-distance running weather!! It was not a cool start for Elly, though. We all remember that she's now a 3-miler unless I'd like to clean up what's in her tummy, and she just knew she wasn't going to join me today. Look at her:

"I know I'm not going, but I'm about to launch into giving it a
shot of the Elly love ..."

"Please, mommy, puh-leez ..."

"It's the kiss of 'no'. Good golly *sigh* ..."

After some love to the puppy, I headed out into a cool breeze ... yeah!!! Love that!! But, wasn't it just yesterday or the day before that I said something like running 4 miles after running 11 the day before isn't as painful as the 4 after having run 10? Yeah, that was stupid.

That first mile hurts!! But, just like all of the other first miles (don't they all kinda hurt??), everything worked itself out, and I was able to cruise along. What made today so cool was that I knew I'd be finished pretty quickly ... unlike my double-digit excursions!!

Along the way, I saw the most beautiful dog!! (Shhh ... don't tell Elly.) This dog actually looked quite a bit like Elly, but the color was ex-qui-site: Deep, rich chocolate with a red undertone. Depending on the angle, the dog's coat just rippled with luscious color. It was kind of like the dark part of Elly's ears but as an entire coat. WOW. I looked back three times after passing that dog just to see it. It was such a better sight than the dead opposum at the two-mile mark. Dead and staring at me with its mouth wide open. Very, very gross. Totally could have done without that.

In other critter news, right down the road, I found a penny (yeah!! Not a critter, just exciting.), and right after, I stopped to save this worm:

I'd just found the penny and found it most appropriate to pay my good fortunate forward!

Soon after, I rounded out my miles and was happy to know I have a break scheduled for tomorrow! WooHoo!! It feels like a long time since my last break ... and it's only been two days! Ha! What a weenie! The double digits will do that, and it's all good. Speaking of good, I leave you with today's find and will see you on Rest Day!

Yahoo!! Only one more cent 'til $2!!

Big Bank, Baby!

There were many reasons I was actually looking forward to today's long run.

First: The longer the weekend runs get, the closer we get to THE day!! I can't help but let the excitement ramp up especially this week ... the way the miles are scheduled, it's a 35-mile week, and that's huge for me! Not only is it huge, but that means the miles-'til-crossing-the-finish just fall off the chart!! Yahoo!!

Second: This is the fourth 11-mile training run I've done (I did my training schedule twice before my first Half ... just to make sure!), and this is the first one I've been able to do outside because it rained every other 11-mile morning! Outstanding!!

Third: I planned to return to the scene of my very first training runs today. I've not used those routes for about a year, but it felt like a good thing to incorporate. It was a great route where I learned a lot and accomplished a lot. It was time to go back.

Who knew how fabulous that was going to turn out?!

It was 51 degrees and fabulous this morning. (Just yesterday, PC2
said, "Woudn't it be great if it was, like, 75 the morning of your
run?" I told her to stop talking. :) In fairness, she remembers the
morning of my first Half when it was 40. Great for me; Not great
for the Crew.) I got to start it all today by seeing this in the sky!
WooHoo!! Pretty!

As I headed on my way, a bunch of these were growing on a
hillside. It looked like an artichoke (mmm ... artichokes ...), and
this one was way bigger than my head. (Oh, my gosh ... the
very thought of an artichoke as big as my head makes me drool.)

A few miles in, I was back to my old
stomping grounds for training. It felt really
good to be there! I'd like to introduce you
to my former nemesis ... It's just So. Long.
And, up. Very Up.

No sooner had I gotten over that big, why-is-this-such-a-long-
hill hill, I saw just how much fog was lingering. But, somehow,
that didn't stop me from noticing change on the ground!
(Ba-da-bing and Cha-ching! Wait 'til you see!!)

I'd just stopped for my first penny and realized my presence
startled two deer! But, for being startled, they seemed just fine
because they kept chasing each other in big circles. It was hard
to catch them between their speed and the fog, but I stopped and
watched for a bit anyway. Yup, that's it's white hiney! So cool!!
(And, so cool to see them here and not in someone's garden!)

As my altitude got lower, the fog was more
dense. This is a really cool tree, but not like
you can tell, so we'll just move on! (It was
near here, though, that I found more change!
Take that, fog!)

Yesterday, I mentioned there was a tree I
wanted to incorporate into my route. Here it
is! I love this little guy! So cute!!

From that tree, I had a little more than 5 miles left to go ... I'd
say I hit a major pay day today!! (From WHERE is this money
coming?? I find it in really random places along the street,
so I don't get it ... but it's awesome!) I couldn't help but think
of how much I enjoy my "Just Finish" goal (vs. having a time
goal) so there's no debate about stopping for treasures. It totally
works for me, and that's what matters for any of us.

I showed the fam the treasure trove ... Aaron asked, "Where did
you run? In a bank?", PC3 did a little jig (literally), and PC2
told me that on their walk this morning, they saw two dead turtles.

I really, really wanted a Diet Coke this
morning. So, I showered fast. Tasted
fabulous!! And, I smelled better.

I wasn't going to say "no" to this little gem
while we were there! I love McDonald's
Fruit n' Yogurt parfaits!!

With that, it's time to continue on with the day. I'm mentally ignoring that there are 4 miles scheduled for the morning. It's not that big of a deal (much bigger after running the first 10 ... don't really know why, but that one tends to hurt more), but I still don't really want to think about it until I need to go do it! See you after ... probably not as flush with the found cash, but still with the real goal attained!!

Bread Bag Gold

With things to do and places to go on this Rest Day, we decided to take our lunch with us on our little day trip (a trip on which both young Pit Crewers found pennies, and I found a dime!!! Is it restful when you get that suddenly excited?!).

Anyway! I share our lunch outing because I wanted to pass along my personal secret to success for packing a cooler. Maybe it's just me, but I hate (hate!) putting ice around all of my stuff only to have the ice melt-n-mold its way into a big chunk and/or melt and just get our stuff all wet. So annoying! My solution? Enter: The Beloved (so cool because they are made to not have holes) Bread Bag:

They're not just for picking up doggie deposits
on runs, you know ...

The day I figured out to use bread bags for this purpose, too, I was a happy, happy lady:

That's me happy, happy today ... nothing
like sustained happiness!

See how nicely they fit around your goods without being annoying?! Everything cool and dry! AND, look at that ... a bread bag in the middle holding all of our sandwiches nice and snug. Does the fantastic-ness of these bags ever end?

Now, I will say if they hold your ice for hours, there will be condensation on the outside of them, but there will not be a pool of water swirling around in the bottom of your cooler!! Victory!

I love these bags so much that I make sure we get all of the use of them we can because they are a scarce resource. I do ask a friend to collect hers for us, after all ... Waste not, want not, people!:

That's right ... hanging out to dry and later
be put to their next intended use! (eww!)

Our lunch was cool and delightful, by the way! Want to see something else delightful that we saw on our outing? Look!

So cool you have to see it twice:

Ahhh!! Fabulous!! I hope to have another cool pic from tomorrow's morning run. I still have to finalize my route, then I'll know if one of my very favorite trees will be on it. That verdict tomorrow!In the meantime, I need to go check on the dry factor of my bags! See you after the morning run!

Running Made Me Do It

While grocery shopping isn't especially restful, it is, of course, necessary. So, I used part of my Rest Day doing just that. I just got back with the latest stash!

I realized today that my grocery shopping habits have come to the point of -- mostly! -- picking out food I know is awesome fuel for a run. What's good before, what's good after and even what's good during (my friends, the grapes!). With so many miles behind me, this has become more the rule than the exception ... and I really, really enjoy it!! And, after unloading the goods, I had to dive in to these:

Is it really March and I'm diving into a bowl of fresh berries?!

Most of these wound up in my oatmeal ... Holy MOLY that was yummy!!! And, that's the way to start a Friday!! Enjoy yours! Another Rest Day awaits tomorrow ... and I'm looking forward to that -- because I know 11 miles await on Sunday!!

I Want To Bottle It and Make Millions

I set sail on my run today only to figure out a tenth of a mile into it (but a couple of miles from home) that I wore the wrong shoes!

It's not me, it's you.

These shoes have done their miles with me and are now the every day shoes. That means the treads are worn, and the sides are not as supportive as they were in their glory days. But, what do you do. You keep on going, and you make a mental note to double check which shoes are on your feet when it really counts!

I could not tell you why, but today's run ROCKED. If I could figure out why it was so great and why I felt so strong, I'd bottle it and make millions. Instead, I must settle for continuing to scrounge the streets. Fortunately, that keeps paying off:

One by one, my vast fortune grows ...

Not everyone was having as good of a morning as I: I passed a lady on the sidewalk who literally scowled when I said, "Good morning" to her. Totally not kidding. I'd seen her from a bit of a distance, and she looked very normal in her expression. I greeted her, and Grrrrrrrr! Big change! That made my expression change, too. To this:

Ooooo ... I said something wrong to herrrr!

As I went on, though, there were definite patches of beauty. They're everywhere this time of year, and I know we're all seeing them, but I'm still sharing what I saw that caught my eye:

And:

This tree is, by far, the most rich in this color that I've seen!!
SO VERY PRETTY!!

I'm thankful for the pocket of time today when I could just go out, breathe deeply and take notice of the everyday wonders. I'm also thankful for my Good For You Lady who again made it a point to slow down and root me on today! With that, tomorrow is Rest Day! That's probably why I was so energized this morning ... the body knows ...

No Complaints

I woke up to a lot of rain and assumed I would need to break out the dreadmill for today's run. But right at the time I was able to go, the rain subsided!! I still considered running inside because the showers have come off and on very suddenly, and no one wants to get in the middle of a run only to get caught in one. Or, at least, I don't want to.

Ultimately, it was the 59-degree weather and the slight breeze that won me over, and I headed out. That sounded SO much better than aiming a fan at me on the dreadmill in the otherwise stagnant room. Even good TV doesn't overcome such conditions after a while! Besides, I hardly ever get the direction right with the fan, so it is usually blowing just in front or just behind me. You'd think I would get off the machine and fix it, but I can't tell you how many adjustments that would require and, therefore, how annoying that would be. No, I have found it more productive to just roll my eyes at myself and complain a little bit.

I'm not complaining about today's run, though! Look!

You'd think I didn't do this on purpose, but I did. I was about to
take the ceremonious pic of the coin until I saw the trees in the
background. SO PRETTY! I figured they were a little cooler, so
I let them take center stage. Why not?

It was a find worthy of a real picture, though. Check it out!!

Hooray!! Riches!!! TEN BIG ONES!

This running thing is cool.

My eyes were kept busy scouting for money while my mind focused on a singular issue ... I spend the first mile to a mile and a half of every run with my clothes flying around all over the place until they finally Just. Settle. Down. Then, I don't notice them anymore (which is good). So, for four miles today, I pondered the following: Is it not ironic that I buy clothes to wick away the moisture and feel more comfortable, but it's that very moisture that ultimately helps my clothes position themselves in the most comfortable and unobtrusive way while running?

And, then, I came home to a dog trying to answer her own question:

"Will I or won't I forgive you for not taking me with you?"

Poor puppy. But, she'll get over it because she'll forget ... until she sees my running shoes come out tomorrow ...