The Pit Stop Principle

It wasn't 10 minutes after finishing last night's entry about how much I was not looking forward to running that the idea of my plan to bring Pit Crew #3 with me totally reinvigorated me!! I almost composed an update, but fearing my mood would change in another few minutes, I let good enough alone and waited for the outcome of the actual run!

PC#3 has been helping out a friend with some chores around their house, and, the bonus is, the house is totally within running distance!! So, I routed my run to include going by the house. This totally worked great for me, too, because then I got to sit and chill while he did the work. Out.Standing.

It was nice to have the mid-run break, too, because it was muuuuuuggy out there!! Cut-the-air-with-a-knife kinds of mornings. Makes-it-difficult-to-breathe kinds of mornings. Bleh. However, the weather did not diminish the enthusiasm PC#3 had to sport his new kicks! See?

Do you know how difficult it is to take such a picture when in
motion? Just sayin'.

Most of the first leg of the run was up hill, so it was nice to have our little pit stop! We were immediately greeted by a little furry friend:

"So glad you're here. It's time more people doted on me.
So, get busy."

Before PC#3 got to work, he spread the love:

And, then, it was apparently my job to get on with the pettin' ...

Are you not seeing the sweat dripping from my leg, kitty?

Apparently, you don't care ...

PC#3's jobs take a while, so Miss Kitty and I hung out and watched the world go by for a while:

There was a time when there was no way I'd break up a 3-mile run. But, the way I've been feeling this past week, I think it was the smartest thing I could have done. Leg One went really well (better than I thought), and Leg Two was a breeze! I was a little afraid I'd stiffen up and not want to get back to the run, but my experience was exactly the opposite! I totally attribute that to the pit stop: My time out and about was elongated, but I didn't overdo for the purpose of just getting it done. It's the same principle as taking a walk break where that little break can make a huge, positive difference. (Why do we criticize ourselves for taking walk breaks again? I'm beginning to forget ...)

Together, we accomplished quite a bit early this morning ...

Would you like to know just how sweaty his ear was? I found
that out when we got together for the pic ... um, eww ...

... including hacking off the dog who smelled the unfamiliar kitty as soon as I walked in the door:

"Cannot. Even. Look. At. You."

Tomorrow's another short one before a crazy-packed day!! It's my intention to get up, get out there, and get it done to move on with the day! We'll see how that pans out when I check in tomorrow! In the meantime, take pause when you need. It's amazing how a little stop, a little peace, a little quiet can put you back in motion stronger and better! Take that time for you, and I'll see you after the morning run!