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!!