Yeah, You Saw It!

Happy Rest Day!!

You know well that what enriches my running experience is making it my kind of fun! Part of that has to do with fashion (um, that term is a bit of a stretch, but we'll do with it!)! Here's the thing: When I first started running, I did not want to be noticed in any way whatsoever. It kind of had to do with paying for the fun colors, and that's certainly what I outwardly admitted. The truth is, it had more to do with my confidence level than I wish were true. I know I'm not alone there!

Through the years, my confidence has exploded. I completely bypassed the idea that anyone is looking anyway and moved comfortably into buying for myself what makes me happy. Period. That's where it begins and ends.

And, part of yesterday's run had a whole lot of this-is-really-fun going on for us!

Not only did I get PC#2 and I shirts that match, but I purposely
picked a color to go with my puppy print sweat band!! And, oh
my gosh, how well does the shirt go with my shoes?!?

Oh, it only gets better ... my nails happened
to totally rock with my shoe strings!! FUN!

And, then there were PC#2's nails matching
her earned-running soda!!

You've heard me say it: Make whatever you're doing FUN!! I don't buy into that saying, "If it isn't fun, it isn't worth it" as a universal truth, but I most definitely apply it to exercise!! That's part of the keeping-it-going package!! More fun to come, you can count on that! Keep on going!!! We'll see you tomorrow!

Love For the Long Run Returns!

As predicted, yesterday's lack of desire to run this morning was nowhere to be found when I needed to put the rubber to the road. Okay, it wasn't entirely  gone as sleeping in sounded more awesome than running, but sleeping in always  sounds better than doing just about anything else, so I'm used to that particular sentiment! The lack of desire to which I'm referring is the one where my brain has decided that every part of running sucks, and I no longer want a part of it because it's totally in the way of my lounging around time. That feeling comes and goes. Often. Fortunately, having a schedule has given the run staying power!

And, what better reward could I have had this particular morning than another drop in temperature and humidity!! It felt awesome heading out the door, and because it was so fabulous, I got to bring Elly worry free!!

"This is so awesome! I am so awesome! I
love running with my awesome mommy!
It's awesome saying 'awesome'!"

My hound partner joined me for the first four miles, and it was great! It was nice to know when she jumped in the grass today it was to relieve her biological needs and not relieving herself of weather-induced stress!! She visited the grassy spots often this morning, though (must have also been excited about the weather), and during such a visit, I spied with my little eye:

A spider home covered in dew ... pretty!

I studied this for a moment or two, even though Elly was all ready to resume, because it was really quite pretty.

If Elly can jack around, so can I!

A quick stop at a red light presented us with today's WOD:

Elly took it upon herself to watch for
traffic while I studied the sites.

Queen Anne's Lace: Like a firework. But, not.

It was a very nice run with the pup, indeed. We even scored some cash before wrapping it up!

I even found another one a few more feet away! Whee!!

Soon after this moment, I dropped off the dog, and I picked up the girl! Hooray!

There she is all springy in her step!

Today was another 5-miler for her (in much better weather conditions and with a mom not quite as depleted as her last 5-mile go!)! It's been an experience doing these runs together with my running the mileage difference before picking her up to join me. You see, on any normal run, it takes me the first mile or two to get my groove and settle in to my normal pace (which is awesome on 2-mile days! Just when things fall into place, I'm finished! Ha!). I have figured out that the break I have from picking her up, in between my run and our run -- even though the break is less than 5 minutes -- starts my get-into-gear process all over. Yup, those first miles are the same as always for settling back in. It's like I'm starting fresh. But, not. I was glad to figure this out and be able to explain it to PC#2 this morning because, suffice it to say, I'm holding the girl up during that time!!

Once getting my groove, though, we had a really good run! Most of the route had sidewalks too narrow to run together, but as most of the third mile was up hill, well, it worked out just fine to not be side by side as up hill is like a no-talking zone!

Today's was a before-I-knew-it ending, and who doesn't like that?! (It's way better than a, "Holy crap, is this ever  going to end?" run!) I also got confirmation that the training I gave PC#2 is just right for her, too. Seriously, she's so at ease running that I sometimes think I'm totally holding her back (which was part of the original agreement, but still) and/or she's not enjoying it as much as she could because it's not much of a challenge. Evidently, it's right on track; she told me at the end of these five that it felt just right -- not too tired, but glad to be finished. That's exactly what I aim for for myself and when I know I'm on track. Hooray for confirmation!!

I made our stopping point at a store to redeem our Coke Rewards coupons!! (They expire tomorrow, and you know this penny-picker-upper is not letting a free Diet Coke go to waste!) That stopping point also required the Pit Crew to pick us up, so we went in and rehydrated while we waited:

Did you know that when someone flushes
a toilet in a store, it can drop the water
pressure at the drinking fountain? I totally
know that.

Just waiting for the boys!

When the boys arrived (as always with cold water bottles!!), we browsed the beverage choices (well, PC#2 browsed; like I needed to do so .. whatever!) until Aaron mentioned the gas station across the street might have a better selection. So, off we went!

Cha-ching ! Free beverages!!

That walk to the gas station was actually rather notable. When we started, PC#2 said she was going to suggest walking, but she thought I might say no because I was too tired from the longer run. That's when I was able to remind her that part of my master running plan is to do it in such a way that none of us are paying for it for the rest of the day -- myself or anyone! That's just not for me and not the point of what I do. Running is a piece  of my day, not all of my day! And, my way has totally worked for me for a long time (making it so I want to keep  doing it!), so I'll be sticking to it!

Next week's long duo run is the Virtual Firework run!! But, long before then is tomorrow's Rest Day, so I'll see you then!

You Don't Scare Me, Bling!

Just a little editor's note before going forth with today's entry: Remember how I introduced you to the most-awesome concept of Nancy's definition of WOD yesterday? You know ... pretty weed of the day? Yeah, Aaron read my entry yesterday and started laughing. Without going into the back and forth conversation we had, I just wanted to take this opportunity to go on record that I'm not a pothead. Just. Sayin'.

I think you now know the bulk of our conversation.

Moving on to today ...

I just saw this on Facebook ...

... and, while that sentiment does often ring very for me, I have to say that the current challenge for tomorrow feels like it's going to be "getting up early to go at all." I'm Friday-pooped!! Nothing bad, nothing out of the ordinary ... just a full week!! And, it's still humid out there, so that's not inticing me at all to want to do anything outside unless I'm in the pool! I also get this kind of don't-want-to-do-this lull right about the time my weekend mileage hits 9 and up, so that's coming in to play, too.

Eh, I've been through it before about a million times, so the run will happen tomorrow morning no matter what. The cool thing is I have a pretty decent track record of having great long runs the day right after feeling this kind of drop in energy, so here's to hoping for more of that!

Even if the run stinks, PC#2 and I still get to cash in our free Coke Rewards coupons!! Hooray! Many-a-run has been mentally fueled by the promise of a cold, Diet Coke at the end! This may be another one!

In the meantime, my mental stamina went to the test today as I worked with PC#2 to make big progress on our shirts for next week! See?!

The front "pocket" placement ...

... and, the back!

The thing is, doing this part was really super-easy, but you know I've been all paranoid about messing them up!! I'm not sure what was so scary about it, but I was on edge for most of the process keeping my fingers crossed that I didn't overheat something or put something in the wrong place or misspell a word ... It's unreal the amount of energy I put into being afraid of the glittery iron-ons, but they didn't get the best of me, and now we have cool shirts! I'm on the fence about adding our mileage ... I wouldn't want to inflict more mental anguish than necessary in my world! (sheesh ...)

With that, I'm off to do some run mapping! We will most definitely see you after the morning run duet!

My WOD

In the past year, I've been introduced to the following when reading exercise blogs: WOD. It took me quite some time to crack this code to mean Workout Of the Day. Basically, it's a list of what to do that day posted at many gyms and by personal trainers. I'm big into words and acronyms and all kinds of things combinations-of-letters related, so that it took me a long time to decipher WOD actually bugged me (this is my issue, I don't expect anyone else to understand).

I've decided to redefine it for myself, though. This decision came about on this morning's run when I came upon these:

Almost looks like a puzzle, right? Maybe I can parlay this
running gig into puzzle production. Retirement planning
at its finest!

While many people share their Workouts Of the Day (which is fantastic, don't get me wrong), I'm more the anti-workout and have been sharing with you this week the Weed Of the Day! They're awesome, though, so you are totally welcome!!! (Seriously, I'm not sure why these kinds of weeds don't just grow in my garden. There are all sorts of cool ones out there, why do we just get stuck with dandelions?)

I'm not actually an anti-workout person or I'm pretty certain this running thing would have fallen to the wayside long ago. I am, however, all about making it as interesting and fun for myself as possible. That's why my camera is in my pocket on most every run and why I'm so annoyed that it's difficult to find capri workout pants with a pocket to accommodate one. (Say it with me: Pri-or-i-ties ...) That's why I keep my eyes open for money (because finding money is always fun!). And, that's why I bring along the pooch even when she gets totally annoying.

Speaking of, the humidity dropped again this morning, so Elly joined me. I intentionally went a route where I was most likely to find some coins. But, it's also the route that has a stretch where we run  with traffic on a sidewalk  and Elly gets the bejeebers scared out of her. Long story short, the girl has caught on to the route and spent a good half mile resisting getting to the scary spot. *sigh* I thought, that'll be great ... she has a heart attack from fear but everyone will think it's because she was running in temperatures too hot for her.

Spoiler alert: Everyone lived.

And, we found money. See? Worth it!

Okay, the gross funny thing about these pennies is that both of
them looked like the one on the left when I picked them up. Once
I got home, the one on the right was rinsed off a bit. It had only
been in my pocket. Um, ewwwww ...

Even though the temperature has been okay these past two days, it's still hot enough to suck the energy outta you, so I'm pretty jazzed tomorrow's a Rest Day! Stay safe, stay hydrated, and keep whatever you're doing fun! I'll see you from Rest Day!

School's In Session

I liken today's run to something of a field trip. We saw all sorts of cool things! It was even better than a field trip, though, because this chaperone wasn't responsible for actually imparting knowledge on anyone. We could look and explore without having to know or teach a darned thing! WooHoo!! (Oh, I've done the science field trips. I'm also a lifetime member of the International Thespian Society -- for real. Put two and two together there.)

The outside temp read 75 degrees when I went out, and I knew the humidity dropped (um, somewhat ...) from Monday, so I decided it was okay to take Elly. Within the first mile, it was clear it was fine for her to be with me, but it would again be a run at her pace, period. Good.Ness. It's hot out there! That's okay, though, because her pace brought on the field trip theme! Besides, you know how I like to take in the scenery ...

Bravo, I Love To Run Facebook page ...
I think we get each other!

So, our adventure provided a really fun trip through nature. For a good little stretch, we had two, fluttering friends follow us!

See the little yellow butterfly?? So cute!

 And, they led us to these:

I loved these!

They even matched our running gear today!

While I marveled at my eye level, Elly did the same at hers:

Okay, yes, she's actually smelling something. Probably a gross
something. So, just look at the purple flowers and nevermind
what she's doing ...

And, then we went even farther down ...

At this point, I made a concious decision to stop looking around for cool stuff because I did actually want to get home at some point. And, it was hot, so the sight seeing was both fun and gross all at the same time. We'd rested enough (in that first mile yeah we did !!), so it was time to get on with it for a bit.

Somewhere in that next mile, I saw a patch of really pretty purple weeds, and Elly seemed to slow herself down again, so what better time to take her picture with them. Right?

That's where a panting dog is a total fake for a smiling dog.
Elly was having none of being told to sit down until the third
command. And, then, she was all pouty about it. Is she a dog,
or is she a three year old? I forget sometimes ...

There was a great amount of shade through the second and third mile which was a huge blessing. By the end of it, though, Elly started to jump in the grass again and again. It seems she was finished with the field trip and planted herself right in the middle of Health Class as she'd scoot herself in the grass to restart her system ...

"Mommy, this isn't just health class. It's
exercise physiology. I'm a very
sophisticated puppy. Duh."

... then skidoo up in front of me to let me know she was ready to go!

"Let's do this! For a few more yards ..."

It was like puppy interval training. And, I was all for it!! Did I mention it was really hot? Bleh.

Both of us were happy to make it to our fourth mile end point!

Yeah, we're both panting here!!

And, we came back home and right into Arts & Crafts time!

Even the boys were along for the theme today! The ol' mile
markers are coming along!

These days are rough with the weather. There is no doubt about it, and years into this activity, I finally believe it. All I thought for the entire run today was that the heat really is why I feel like I'm dragging myself through the run, and it really is okay to feel this crappy!! I also thought about how many times I've come out on the other side of this kind of weather feeling like a total stud -- once the humidity lifts, it's amazing how the same effort produces such a rockin'-better result!! I'm looking forward to that!!

Hang in there as you fight your own elements!! The important part is to keep going! No matter how many modifications you need to make (and, definitely make the ones that keep you safe !!), it's worth going forward!! Use your newfound time to check out a critter or some flowers! For real; it's fun!

Tomorrow morning holds another running slot, so I'll check in after!

Staying Power

Oh my gosh, I have to share this with you:

Outstanding!!

HAHAHA!! For all of the complaining I do about the treadmill, I had to share this from the Run Hard - Always Finish Facebook page!!

On this Rest Day, I saw nothing of the treadmill (hooray!). And, while I did not run, I did mow the lawn. Yesterday afternoon, given the way I was feeling at that time, I swore to myself I would not mow today. I was quite adamant with myself. Then, I woke up today feeling all kinds of better, and it seemed like the thing to do! I credit my running with why I wasn't the least bit tired after mowing, too. See? This running thing is totally good for something!

In fact, it's good for a lot. It's good for how I feel about myself. It's good for setting and achieving goals. It's been good for my physical and mental well being. And, especially as of late, it's been good for some arts and crafts (heehee). To that point, check out the mile markers Aaron and PC#3 have started to put together for next week's Virtual Firework Cupcake Run! (NEXT WEEK!!)

They'll be individually cut out (cute!!!) with purple marking my
milage and pink marking PC#2's!! Awesome!! I wanna lick 'em!
But, I'll just wait for the real deals the boys are making us!

How rooty-toot-cute are those ?!?! And, tonight, provided I stay awake long enough to do so (totally not kidding), PC#2 and I start work on our shirts!! Fabulous!

Whatever activity you take on -- make it yours!! That's what gives it staying power!!

Amist the funnies and the crafting I've wrapped around this activity, though, I can't forget to map a route for tomorrow's run! The weekday runs have kicked up a notch, and I'm craving some new routes. So, I'm off to do some mapping, and I'll see you after knocking out the morning run!

Dog Days

Doesn't it usually take until August to call the summer weather Dog Days? Whatever, it's here! Bleh!!

I was duped this morning by both the thermometer and seeing the leaves blowing in the trees. The temp was 71, which should feel pretty okay for a run, and the leaves should have indicated a breeze. One step outside, and I knew that hopeful combination was a figment of my imagination! The humidity was already in strong force which totally screws whatever the thermometer ever reads! YUCK! Onward we went, but we took it slow on behalf of my girl Elly and her fur coat. I'm not going to lie, it was a little benefit to have an indisputable excuse to go slower today!

An unexpected perk of having Elly with me was at her first needs-to-be-cleaned-up potty stop because look what I found while inspecting the ground to make sure we left it clean:

The only other out-of-the-ordinary stuff we saw had to do with the number of turtles that didn't make it across the road. Oh, the turtles ... poor critters, they needed us!

Elly spent the majority of her trot running in grass which I assume she was doing because it was full of dew, and it cooled her down. Normally, she's right with me on the concrete, which I prefer to file her nails, but there was no way I was going to require that of her today! While we were out, I decided this was her last run this week given the heat in the forecast. Summer's hit or miss with being able to have her join me; I always hate that time when I realize our runs together are going to be minimal for a while. I especially hate it because I can't explain it to her. *sigh*

Well, in the meantime, we had a good one today regardless of the elements working against us! I even found a penny ... a very, shiny penny!

Elly's all, "Um, I love you and stuff, but it's hot hot hot out!
Let's go hug inside!"

Look close! You can see my finger reflecting in it it's so shiny!


Unlike so many of its soon-to-be friends
in the Food Bank Snoopy Bank, this one
is clean as a whistle! Clearly, it had not
been lingering in the street very long!

By the way, all of that panting allowed for a teeth show-off pic ...

Yeah, baby, them's some pretty chompers!!!

And, then there's this one just because
she's so darned cute!

So, that's three more in the tank for us! By the way, while I got to run outside, PC#2 did her miles inside on the treadmill, and those little furniture sliders under the treadmill were awesome for her!! WAHOO!! Making that easy for her is awesome -- totally deserves it for how committed she is!! (Our medals for next week arrived in the mail today, too!!! Her commitment is about to have a super-fun-blingy pay off!!)

Mind your temperatures whatever you're doing -- keep it safe!! With that, we rest tomorrow!! I'll see you then!

All Running Related

Did I need this yesterday, or what?

What's super-stinky is when I was out this morning at 8 a.m. (um, not running ...), it was very pleasant with a -- wait ... for ... it ... -- cool breeze!! What ?!? No fair!! Man, we got totally hosed with our weather yesterday for our run!! Oh well, whadda ya do ...

Okay, so today ... with a plan to go to the pool that got thwarted ...

That's a storm a'rollin' in ... grrrrr ...

... I have a few random-but-awesome updates for you!

First ... the shirt project! You might recall I was to wash the glitter experiment this weekend to see how well it held up. The verdict:

Contrary to what this looks like, it actually
worked exactly as well as I gave it a chance.
I didn't spend much time with the black at
all, and the only silver that flaked is where
I flicked it off where it was too heavy. The
white worked perfectly, but I also did it the
right way.

This, to which I gave the most care and attention, worked
exactly how I wanted and totally withstood the wash!

You won't be surprised to know I keep coming across different ways to do this including finding even more lettering options yesterday, but the best news is I'm confident in whatever way we go!! Confident in success? I'm on board with that!

Next ... the pursuit you didn't even know about: A medal hanger! It's exactly what it sounds like: A rack to hang the ol' medals. They're usually metal and have a saying like "Half Marathon" or "Runner" - or something far more elaborate - with a way to slide and/or hang the medals under the phrase. I've seen them at Expos and on the web, but nothing has ever really caught my eye. (If you're super curious, a quickie Google search of "medal hangers" will give you what I'm talking about.) There's not a thing wrong with them, they're just not me. However, I've found just the thing that is:

Taaaaaaaaaaaa-daaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!

I'm reasonably sure it's a jacket/coat rack, but not in my house!! How fabulous is that?!? I can not only put pictures in there, but the top is a shelf for more pictures!!! That's the feature that threw this over the top and into my arms to purchase, not to mention it was half price!! WAHOO!! (and, considerably less than the aforementioned metal medal hangers! Music to this penny-finding girl's ears!) I cannot wait to fill and hang it!! That won't happen for a little while as the multitude of home projects continues (let's not discuss), but when it does, you'll see it here!! Whee!!

 

Speaking of home projects, remember my tales of woe regarding my unintentional stairmastering with the paint chair? Here's a whole different tail of woe for you:

I didn't see my little helper got a little too
close to the project until the day after she'd
done it! That's what Lizzy gets for being
so very busy!

"You want a picture now after you just
took one of my butt? I think not. I shall
now blur my face to protect my innocence."

Last, but not least, I finally grabbed a clue and bought some furniture movers to go under the ol' treadmill so that it's not such a stinkin' chore to move it when needed.

Looks like nothing; does so much! And, yes, our treadmill has
wheels, but I'm sure ours isn't the only one where the wheels
are just a step above useless. So, $3.50 later, and we're in the
move-the-treadmill business!

You have to move it to see the tv, or what's the point of being on the treadmill? Am I right?

 

And, there you have a number of (I'm certain unexpected) updates from my little corner of the running world! I'm hoping tomorrow morning accommodates an outdoor run (as it doesn't seem like we can count on forecast accuracy, just sayin'), but, if it doesn't, at least I know I can move the treadmill without being all grumbly about it! Find ways to make what you're up to just a little easier or a little bit more fun, and I'll see you after the morning run!

Made It. Somehow!

THAT RUN IS DONE!!!!

Good grammar? Not so much, but I don't care because the important thing is that I finished that run and didn't just collapse in the middle of it.

Dramatic? Actually, not so much!! Here's how it went down (but, not literally!). It all started at 5:15 a.m. when I woke up and never really fell back to sleep. That's never good especially when I wanted to get up at 6:00 a.m. *sigh!* I was reasonably pumped for this run, though, so once I was up, I felt good to go. The plan was to do my first three, then I'd swing by the house to pick up PC#2 for the last 5. It was her first go at 5 miles, and I was pretty jazzed to do this with her!

I wasn't a tenth of a mile from the house when I felt my legs were nothing but jelly. Literally, my thighs were quivering (or, was that their potty mouth action coming back into play?). Call this the aftermath of painting a bedroom yesterday; evidently, the repeated on and off of the chair to reach to the ceiling served as a very effective stairmaster. Given the height of the chair, it was a stairmaster on steroids. Of course, we can't forget the number of squats performed to paint close to the baseboards. Complaining? No. It's just reality, and I didn't expect it.

I also didn't expect the humidity to be as heavy as it was even though I should have known better. When it's almost 80 degrees at 5 a.m., you know you're in for nothing great. Unless you're headed to the pool. Which I wasn't. (Oh, just get ready for the whining ... just get on board now ...!)

I did receive a great distractor in the form of finding a penny inside of the first mile, and, just after that mile marker, I came across these:

A trellis full of my favorite color!! Just for me!!

Just after is a hill I've not run for quite some time. It's one that I've always been able to defeat physically, but that usually comes with quite a bit of mental work. Today, even how I was feeling, I cruised right on up. It called for a quick moment of looking back:

I know it doesn't look it, but that's almost
4/10 of a mile on the ol' incline. And, it's
mine!!!

At this point, I cruised the last mile and a half without any issue whatsoever. I even found another penny! I figured I just took my normal 1-2 miles to warm up and get in my groove and thought nothing more of it. Until PC#2 and I headed out ...

Yow.Za.

First of all, I did get a bit of water when I picked her up, and I obviously drank it too fast because I had the worst, immediate stomach gas ever. I had to stop us twice to let loose my siren song. And, even though she should be used to that from me, PC#2 wasn't quite sure what to do with the sheer volume of my sounds. Nor was the rest of the neighborhood, but whatever.

Once we took off, my legs were screaming. Then they acted like they were going to have no part of running. Then, they moaned. Then, they jellied. It was all I could do to just focus enough to not let them buckle right under me! I'm totally not kidding, either, this was ridiculous. And, there was PC#2 right next to me trotting happily along! There was no way I was ruining this run for her. It being her first 5-miler is a big deal, and I was determined to make that happen the best and safest way possible for her! So, onward we went!

I was good -- as good as it was going to get today -- for the first two miles. I had us stop at the drinking fountain at that point because we didn't bring any water with us. Normally, we wouldn't need it here, but given the temperature and conditions, I wanted to make sure PC#2 learned to incrementally hydrate even if she didn't think she yet needed it. Need or not (which I'm sure we did), we sure wanted it! Thumbs up to the water stop!!

I'm pretty sure the lady in the background is asking her running
group why they still have to keep going when it's so hot and
why they can't just go to breakfast then head to the pool ...
Seems that way anyway.

Based on yesterday's forecast, I planned the majority of our together run to be on a trail to capitalize on its ample shade. You'd think I'd like running the trails we have available because they're flat, but I actually prefer the streets for the up and down variation. The trail isn't much better than the treadmill in that regard. But, it is a lot prettier:

Not long into this part of our journey, I made it very clear to PC#2 that I very much needed to adhere to the "cover the distance" theme and that I just wasn't feeling any part of this run. I slowed down as much as I could and kept reminding myself, "Just cover the distance. That's all."

If I'm being honest, which I am, I have to say that with about a mile to go, I just wanted to stop. Oh, and to cry. I was exhausted. I felt totally depleted. Nothing about this run made me feel strong or empowered or any of the other good things that tend to come during and after a run (note, I did not say 'before a run', ha!). My only goal was to keep the run going (stopping only to dump rocks out of my shoes which I had to do twice, darned trail!) so PC#2 could have that victory!!

Two things made me pick up my pace along the way, though. First, I looked ahead and saw a turtle!! That thing was hauling  it across the trail, and if we didn't pick up speed, we would have missed it. I had it in me to make sure we greeted him!

Okay, there's going slow, and there's letting a turtle beat you.
I picked it up.

He stopped and posed before going on
his way!

The other thing that got me geared up? Seeing Aaron and PC#3 at the end!!

This is actually PC#3 seeing us before I
saw them. We're coming!! We're coming!
And, please do not be a mirage!!!

The funny thing is right before seeing them, PC#2 looked ahead and said, "We're almost there!" but, I told her what she was seeing was not our stopping point (I thought we had another mile to go, but I didn't mention that part -- she was doing great, and hearing you have another mile when you think you're almost finished can really swat the wind outta you. I didn't want to do that to her!). Fortunately, within seconds, I realized how happily wrong I was ... straight ahead were our two boys waiting and waving!

Awe.Some.Sauce ... we were finished!!!

The thrill of victory, and the agony of the mama ...

The boys brought us water bottles, but before sucking them dry, we hit the drinking fountain during which time Aaron found this:

Awwww ...

By the way, I might mention that there was one more wildlife representative on our venture: On the way home, PC#2 found a tick crawling across her hand which she promptly yelled about and flicked at me. (I know! Nice!) It did give both of us another reason to leave the trail to the colder times, though ... it'll be a good excuse, at least, to bring back the hills!

So, we made it together! It was probably the worst run I've had in years, but I'm happy happy happy to report that my internal talk was exclusively about recognizing the factors going into the stinky run and realizing it's an anomoly. Different weather, different day, different all-sorts-of-things will make the next one better. Or worse, who knows. It'll be what it'll be, but it will be accomplished!

(My Daily Inspiration and Motivation's Facebook photo)

Congratulations to PC#2 on this goal -- Rest Day is well earned, my dear! In the meantime, there is no one around here complaining that tomorrow is Rest Day!! I'll be checking in from there!