Does running help dementia?

Overslept a little yesterday and it didn't allow me quite enough time to get out and run before work, so I was going to do it last night.  But... it was kind of warm out - mid 70s and I knew it would be cooler this morning, so I decided to postpone until this morning.  I was truly bummed that I had overslept because I heard on the radio that it was 59 degrees and that is SO my kind of weather for running.  I got up this morning and did a 20 minute run, in 62 degrees, and it felt great.  I think I sped up a little, too, and tomorrow morning will be a 5K run.

Although I had enough time this morning, I did get up a little late and went out at about 6:10.  it was considerably lighter when I started and I saw more people leaving for work than usual.  When I run I have lots of time to think about whatever I want - or nothing at all.  I usually take in what's happening around where I'm running, along with how I'm feeling, trying to be aware of my breathing... things like that.  Sometimes, I really just kind of zone out and run and don't think about anything.  Today, I was contemplating the possibility of early-onset dementia.  My short-term memory kind of sucks!  I've recently learned that menopause can be a cause of that, which makes me feel a little better, but I just don't know.  I forget what I went into a room for, what I sat down to the computer to look up, what I was going to say when I went to a co-worker's office.  Today, I walked into the bathroom when I was getting ready to run and couldn't remember what I went in there for.  Pretty sure I was going to get something that was in there, but couldn't figure out what.  Looked around... No idea!  Must not have been very important, right?  I walked back out, into the bedroom, and then I remembered.  My shirt!  I went in there to get a shirt to put on!  Yikes!

Well, as of today, I've been running for 11 weeks.  I'm finding it kind of hard to believe that I've stuck with it this long.  I'm finding that I really do look forward to it (even though I'm not speedy or a very  talented runner) and really do miss it when I don't do it.  In a couple of weeks I'll be adding in 2 yoga classes and 1 Zumba class each week.  I think that will round out my activity a bit and then all I need to do is add in some strength training!  In the meantime, I'll be back tomorrow after a early  morning 5K run!

Oh! The distractions!

 
Wow! Talk about a difficult run... I knew I was in trouble when we pulled into the Metropark and I saw the sign indicating that there was a Classic Car show in the park today. I joked with my husband about the pancake breakfast that they were also having, but it was the steady flow of awesome cars cruising into the park that was going to get me! 


It was a fantastic morning! The temperature was a cool 64 degrees (17 C) and breezy. It was sunny, but I ran on a path that had a lot of trees so I was in and out of the sunshine. It felt wonderful and I think my speed improved a little. Still don't have my Nike+ sensor but I figured out what happened to it. It died right after I did my 5K and I think it had a heart attack! I mean, here we are consistently running a couple miles 3 or 4 times a week and then I up and run over 3 miles and also tack walking on to the front and back of the run. The sensor blew up!


I set off running and shortly after my warm up walk ran by the many classic cars displayed off to one side. But I ran BY them, not through them. So I planned the rest of my out-and-back run so that I would turn around and my cool down walk would start close to the car show and could walk through for my cool down. That worked great and I've included a few pictures of the distractions that I had to overcome. Ok... The corn dogs weren't really a distrction. Good thing I ate a hard boiled egg before I left the house!


Seriously, though, I did have an interesting realization when I ran by the car how the first time, and then again at the end of my run (I didn't plan quite as well as I thought and had to run into the area where they were displayed).  I was running with many people around. People who could obviously see me, because many of them said hello or waved at me. In the past, having that many people around would have made me terribly self-conscious - probably enough so that I would have slowed to a walk AND gone a different direction to be sure that no one saw me trying to run.  This was a huge breakthrough for me!  Whenever I have run - or done much of anything active like that - I been a closet exerciser.  I don't want people to see me exercise because I'm afraid that they are judging me and thinking that I'll never be able to finish.  That was different today.  Actually for a while now, but I just realized it today.  And it felt really great!  And maybe - just maybe - there was someone who saw me who thought "Hey, look at her.  She's a middle-aged woman and she's a new runner.  Maybe I could do that!"  Perhaps, by my having confidence in myself, I can inspire someone else!  I'll be out running again tomorrow morning. 

Fab Friday running

Another beautiful morning for a run.  Actually, I've jut learned that, based on my pace, I'm not quite running - I'm jogging!  But, despite my usual preference to be more precise when dealing with such details, it's taken me a long time to call it running, and myself a runner (as opposed to airquote running and airquote runner), so I'm just going to stick with running!

This morning I did a 35 minute run.  It felt great!  Well, at one point I did feel like slowing to a walk, but knew that it wasn't really necessary and kept going.  The feeling passed and the run was uneventful.  It was a wonderful 63 degrees (17 C).  I only saw a couple of cars while I was out - one with a dog named Max riding happily in the back seat with his head out the window.  He gave me a look like "You're running to get somewhere?  How primitive!"   From a distance I also saw my husband leaving to go to the Metropark for his morning bike ride.  We'll both be headed to the Metropark on Sunday to run and ride, then meet back up when we're done.  Still don't have my Nike+ sensor replaced, so none of my miles this week are recorded on my log. =(

I heard some great music on today's run.  Whenever I sync my iPod the playlist resets and everything shuffles into a different order while some songs are replaced.  Today I was accompanied by Queen V, Adam Ant, Nickleback, The Detroit Cobras and others.  Lady Ga Ga sang a techno version of Just Dance throughout my warm up, and it was a good start. 

I will be back on Sunday to report in on my next run, but will hopefully have my post up about meeting The Penguin and Coach Jenny tomorrow.  I didn't want to post about it until I have a chance to get the pictures off  my phone to include with it. Til Sunday...

What an amazing morning!

So I was supposed to do a 5K run yesterday morning.  I got ready and headed out and about 1/4 mile in realized that (me + running + darkest  before dawn + uneven sidewalk = FAIL).  Okay, maybe not fail maybe more like fall!  Did I give up?  Well, yes and no!  No... I HAD to get back home, and walking was my only option.  Yes... I quickly learned that my nice wicking pants were getting stuck to my road rash, and what skin was left on my knees was going to be rapid rubbed off, so I picked my self up (after looking around to be sure that no one saw me) and pulled my pantleg up, while blood dribbled down my shin, and took myself home.  

I tried again this morning, being much more mindful of the terrain, and ran without incident.  I did not, however, run the 5K that I had planned.  I only went about 2 1/3 miles and spent part of it walking.  I did run the majority of the distance, but my right knee is pretty stiff, and I didn't want to overdo it.  It was absolutely gorgeous out this morning!  After a wicked storm last night, the sky was a beautiful royal blue at 6:00 am today, and clear as a bell.   The moon and many bright stars illuminated the sky.  It was the prettiest I've seen in since a clear morning in 1997 that we went to an isolated area to see Comet Hale-Bopp or the time we were driving to the upper peninsula of Michigan and went to a park to see the milky way and the millions of stars that you can see from an unpopulated area on a clear night.  I wish I could have taken a picture of the sky this morning, because it was truly glorious!

The most exciting thing about this week, though, is that I got to meet John "The Penguin" Bingham and running Coach, Jenny Hadfield last night.  It was a thrill because I read so much by them and about them, and they are like running rockstars.  John, especially, is an everyday guy who started running in his mid-forties (like me) and has been doing it almost 20 years now.  I will write a separate blog post about meeting them, along with a couple of pictures.

So that's my story for today.  Will run again tomorrow morning, then on Sunday.  Planning on shorter runs than I planned today, and the next 5K run will be next Wednesday - the last day of August!  Where has the summer gone, when I'll be starting my 13th week of running (and no one is more surprised than I am!).

That didn't suck nearly as much!

Actually, it didn't suck at all!  Not my most awesome performance, but this morning's run was certainly respectable.  It was an absolutely awesome 56 degrees (13 C) when I headed out at 6:00 am.  I would love weather like that for every run!  Since my upcoming races are planned for October and November, I am excited about the temperature during those months.  I have, however, seen some days that the Detroit Marathon brought really cold weather, and spitting icy rain.  I'd certainly prefer dry, but I'll totally take cold and rainy over hot and sunny!  I once signed up for a 5K in July that started at 11:00 am and was on a sunny course.  Horrible experience!  Well, it wasn't JUST the weather with that one, but it cured me of signing up for any in the hot months ever again.

There was a lot of mist just outside my neighborhood, in the fields this morning.  Seeing the sun come up over the trees and begin to burn it off was quite pretty, and I enjoyed watching the sky come to life.  It reminds me of a chapter from one of my favorite children's books "The Phantom Tollbooth" by Norton Juster.  An orchestra plays the sunrise (and sunset) and each note is a dancing ray of light or a twinkling star or the last bit of orange sunlight slipping behind the horizon.  It's very visual and it changed the way I saw the sunrise/set after I read it in the 2nd grade.  I've read it many times since.

But back to my run... I went back to Week 7, Day 1 and will do my 5K run on Wednesday, then days 2 and 3 on Friday and one of the weekend days.  Next week I'll do the same with Week 8.  I did well with it and ran the full 25 minutes without any trouble.  I was quite happy with that, since my eating yesterday was little improvement from the previous 3 days.  I am, however, nicely back on track today, and am quite confident that Wednesday's 5K run before work will be great!  I love how strong my legs are feeling and kind of like how they're beginning to look!  I do need to concentrate more on stretching, though.  I don't do nearly enough of that!

Well, that's about all there is to tell you today.  See you in a couple days, after an awesome 5K run around my neighborhood!

Wow! That really sucked!

I mean really! I had decided to not do my longer run, since I was going to the MetroPark, and was unsure of the distances from where I was starting. When we arrived John asked if I wanted mosquito spray but I declined the offer. I hate using that when I work out cuz I always feel like my skin absorbs more if the toxic stuff when I sweat. Besides I breathe harder and don't like inhaling it. Ironically, before I got done with my warm up walk I was headed back to the car. I wanted DEET and lots of it! The 100% kind.


Once again I spent more time walking than running. I had my protein shake this morning, but my diet has been totally crappy for the past three days. That must be the reason that I felt so sluggish. I probably could have actually run more than I did, but I wussed out and walked a lot. At one point I heard someone jogging up behind me and I was thinking "showoff!" when he passed me. It was an old man! Like twice my age!!! Okay, not twice, but I'll bet he was around 70! He got a ways ahead of me and I noticed that he slowed to a walk, but only for about 30 seconds. Showoff! Actually, I don't begrudge the fact that this man past me and was doing great. I aspire to be in that shape at his age, being that active. Hell, I hope I can be in that shape when I'm 50!


Oh... To top things off, my Nike+ sensor died. When my iPod couldn't detect it I checked to be sure I was wearing the correct shoes. Yep, they were definitely my running shoes. I kept waiting for it to pick up the sensor, but it never did. I have to say that I've gotten a much longer life from the sensor than I expected. I imagine that's mostly because, until 2 1/2 months ago it didn't really get the amount of use that it was designed for. I'll get a new one next week. Seems silly since I won't need it when I get my iPhone, but that's a few months off, and I really like using the Nike+ so I'll go ahead and get it.


Planning ahead:  I have decided that I will do a 5K run once weekly, on Wednesday. That way it's the same day each week, and it's during a run in my neighborhood where I have the course measured out. I won't do that the Wednesday before my races, but will inrease the distance a bit the week before that. Based on that I will be following C25K tomorrow, do 5K Wednesday, the C25K the rest of the week.  


Catch ya tomorrow!

Testing... Testing...

Is this thing working?  Oh wait!  It was ME that was having a bit of difficulty!  I got up this morning, ready to run.  I didn't plan to do 5K again today,  because I didn't feel that I would be able to do that so soon after Wednesday's 3.125 miles, and I was correct.  I also decided to test my strategy of having a protein shake before I run, and was right about that, as well!  I did my warm up walk and then started running and it wasn't long before I ran out of steam.  I walked for a while longer, then sped up to a jog, but again, I ran out of steam before very long.  My total route was 2 miles today, but I ran less than half of it.  I've come to the conclusion that, now that I am going a little farther and a little faster, I definitely need to get some protein before I run.  That may not be the case so much, if I were to go out after I have been up and had a meal or two anyway, but for running first thing in the morning, start-up fuel appears to be necessary.

It was a glorious 64 degrees (17 C) at 5:50 this morning.  Wonderful temperature!  As the sun rose, there was a thin layer of mist just above the ground, giving the field near our house a quietly mysterious appearance.  You could see it and see that it was a plowed field, but you couldn't quite see what was in the field.  I happen to know that lots of critters make themselves quite comfortable there, and many of them are the kind that I'd just as soon not run across in the dark of pre-dawn.  The raccoons and opossums are are not so bad, although I wouldn't really want to startle either of them - they do have sharp teeth.  It's the skunks and the coyotes that I really don't want to see up close. 

The only interesting thing that happened while I was out today was that a guy in an SUV stopped and asked if he could have the money out of my purse.  I told my husband that it was fine, so he went back home to get it, and then waived at me as he drove out of the neighborhood with his bike in the back.  He probably used it to buy breakfast after he "worked out" while sitting down on his bicycle.  Seriously... 21 miles while you're sitting on a bike?  The only way to really  work out is on your feet!  No... not really!  But I'd totally rather run that have my butt hurt from sitting on a bike for 21 miles!

Next run: Sunday at the park (which is 8 weeks until the Detroit Marathon/Half/5K).  Looking forward to a good run to finish out my week.  I think I'll plan to do another 5K, then next week I'll be fully back to M-W-F + a weekend day!  Goal is to do 5K at least once a week and possibly a slightly longer one (4 miles?) before my official first race!

Holy Freaking Cow!

So, I was looking at the calendar yesterday and realized that my first 5K, the one alongside the Detroit Marathon, was exactly 2 months away.  TWO months!  61 days!  Time to kick into a higher gear and get my tuchus moving, farther - and faster!  C25K has been going well, but I have yet to actually run 5K.  Until today, that is!  

I finished my new John Bingham book, Accidental Athlete, last night and really enjoyed it.  Definitely learned some new things, but mostly, it left me feeling totally inspired.  So, when I went to bed I decided that I was going to run a full 5K this morning.  Or at least I would try.  No walk breaks - just running (well, jogging, actually) for the entire 3.125 miles.  Of course, realizing that I haven't even tried this before, I was well aware that I could get into the 3rd mile and decide that I needed to finish up walking, but I was so excited about this new goal, that I had trouble getting to sleep last night!  

I got up 3 minutes after the alarm went off.  I walked for about 5 minutes, which got me to the point where I started mapping my 5K route on Map My Run then I started my run.  One mile...  feeling great.  I started out a little earlier this morning, knowing that it was going to take me longer, so it was still dark out.  Two miles...  still feeling really good, knowing that, in just over a mile, I would accomplish something major for me.  Three miles...  okay, I am now aware that this is more than I've ever done at one time, but am still feeling good.  Keep going... around the next corner, and I can see the intersection where my 3.125 miles ends.  Nothing can stop me now!  I kept on running and I did it!  And I couldn't be more thrilled if you gave me a medal (well, maybe if you gave me a medal)!  

My pace was slow.  I really want to pick that up in the next 2 months, before I run a timed 5K, in front of other people.  But that's okay!  That was why I wanted to do this today and see exactly where I am.  I know  that I can improve my time before my first 5K, and now I know where I am starting from, and will be able to see - and measure - my progress.  

YAY ME!  I think I floated the rest of the way home.  Now, there's NO stopping me!

Today is a good day to run!

A really good day!  It was beautiful weather, and I started at a point at the MetroPark that would keep me, intermittently, in sun and shade.  It was about 68 degrees (20 C) with about 75% humidity, which was a bit moist, but not too bad.  It was my third time, in a row, running 25 minutes, straight - and It felt great!  I was initially concerned because the paths in the park go over small hills that I'm not used to - none of those in my neighborhood.  I was very pleased to have finished today with my farthest distance and my best time for a mile!  Hooray!


The path went along some really pretty stretches of road that I enjoyed while I was running.  Since it was 8:20 am there weren't a huge number of people in the park, and I had some of the most scenic sections of the trail all to myself, which I thoroughly enjoyed.

My biggest complaint would have to be the mosquitoes, but as long as I kept running they didn't bother me.  It kept me moving right along!  Maybe I should thank them for my improved pace today.  As soon as I got back to the car and stopped to get my water and everything, they swarmed toward me with a thirst for blood and murder in their eyes.  They were huge - nearly as big as hummingbirds!  Okay, maybe not quite THAT big, but they really were some big-ass mosquitoes!


As nice as the weather was when I was out running (I can say running now without the quotes and feel quite comfortable with it) - anyway, as nice as it was, it's supposed to rain this afternoon and evening, which is kind of disappointing because I'm going to an outdoor concert.  My playlist today included both Sammy Hagar and Kid Rock, and I will be seeing both of them live and in person tonight, from the nose-bleed section at Comerica Park.  Doesn't matter... rain or not, I'm going to enjoy the concert and am looking forward to a great evening.  I hear that Kid Rock goes all out for his Detroit shows and I've seen Sammy before and know that he's awesome.   I'll include a brief concert report in my next run entry on Tuesday!  Til then, toodle loo!

Woo hoo! I did it again!

Yes, indeed!  I went out for this morning's run and today's C25K run (week 7, day 1) was another 25 minute run!  The next one is the same (in fact all of week 7 is a five minute warm-up walk, then 25 minutes of running) and I am not dreading it at all!  I didn't drink my protein shake this morning, and I definitely noticed that my performance wasn't quite where it was yesterday, so that apparently  really does make a difference, now that I am running a little longer than before.  When I do my run on Saturday, I'll definitely have some protein before hand and assess how I feel then.

It was an absolutely gorgeous morning.  It was 59 degrees (15 C) when I was out and the sun wasn't quite up yet at 6:10 am.  I loved it!  I felt so good being out there, albeit a bit drained toward the end.  I initially thought that I could have worn a long sleeved shirt - I have LS a tech shirt that I haven't had a chance to wear yet - but soon realized that I was better off with short sleeves.  I can't believe that I am enjoying running as much as I am.  It still sounds like a very strange thing for me to say!

Didn't see anyone else out this morning.  No guy running the opposite direction.  I'm not sure I even saw any cars that went directly by me.  Other than my husband leaving to go for a bike ride and my neighbor taking her dog out when I got back home, it was  just me out there.  Looking forward to another good run on Saturday!  See you then!

A day of celebration!

First of all, today is my 19th wedding anniversary to my wonderful husband, John.  Since we got married we have been to weddings for people who are no longer couples.  It's sad.  I'm grateful to have the wonderful husband that I've got!

I decided to skip running yesterday.  Because I determined that my inability to do it on Sunday was, at least partially, due to my not having taken a rest day in several days, I chose to take one yesterday and slept an extra hour before work.  It felt really good and I felt restored!

Also, since my running goals are a little more of a focus right now, I thought it would be best to skip boot camp today and do the run that I was supposed to do yesterday.  Rather than redoing the run from Sunday, that I ended up walking, I decided to jump right to the single long run.  Well, long for me!  Warm up before a 25 minute run, then cool down.  I ran my fastest mile today and also went my farthest distance!  The rest day did very well for me.  I felt SO good while I was out there, and am looking forward to doing it again, tomorrow!  In addition, I drank some almond milk with protein powder before my run today, and I think that helped some.  I have kind of felt like I'm not really running long enough to require extra nutrients before I run.  I glass of water and I felt ready to go and then eat something when I finished my run.  Possibly that had something to do it it, as well.

I saw another person in my neighborhood out running this morning.  First time I've seen him.  We passed 4 times, going in opposite directions.  The first time I was barely out of my house and was still warming up, so I was walking,  but he was running.  The next time, I was running and HE was walking.  The next time we were both running and the last time I saw him I was still running  but he was walking again.  So the score was ME Walk-1, Run-3; HIM Walk-2, Run-2.  I win!  He didn't know we were competing, I'm sure, but I know (and I won)!

The sunrise was beautiful, the air was cool and breezy, I was able to outrun the mosquitos (which is good because my legs are peppered with red bumps from boot camp).  I'm hoping for as nice a morning tomorrow to do my next run and start my 20th year of marriage!

Well, bummer!

Got up early(ish) to head out to the MetroPark and started my run but I just didn't have it in me.  I ran a little, but ended up walking for 40 minutes, instead.  I got plenty of sleep this weekend and have been getting proper nourishment, but I've only taken one day off, in the last 7, between running and bootcamp class.  I have camp tomorrow and will run on Tuesday.  I think I may repeat my last routine (2 runs with a walk break in between) and then go into one longer run on Thursday.


At one point, I was walking along at a good clip and it started raining lightly.  It felt pretty good, but then I noticed that it was only raining when I was under this cluster of trees and the pavement was dry, otherwise.  I hoped that there wasn't a troop of monkeys in the tree causing something that wasn't really rain.  Ick!  Yes, I'm in Michigan, and I know that it's not likely, but I've been to the jungle in South America and know what a unruly troop of monkeys can do!


Things to add to my away-from-home pre-run checklist:  A hat!  A hat is pretty important when you're running in the park and I need to endeavor to remember mine.  When I was walking in the sunshine, it would have been nice to have the visor.  A hat helps keep the mosquitos out of my hair. And, it keeps people from seeing my hair, which looked pretty messy by the time I finished, between sleeping on it and then sweating while I was out.  To clarify, I slept on it over night, not during my walk.  I saw a bench that would have been pretty comfy for a nap, but I kept walking.  I did get some new running clothes though and was wearing one of my pair of capri pants made from fancy wicking fabric. Mine are Danskins Dri-More and they are really nice.  Super soft and that Dri-More technology is awesome!  I'd like to wear  clothes made from that fabric all summer long.


There weren't a lot of people out yet when I got to the park at 8:00 am.  Usually Sunday mornings are pretty busy, there.  Maybe word got out about the monkeys!  Next run, on Tuesday, will be right here in my home neighborhood, so I won't have to worry about that, but I'll check in with you then, just to keep you updated! 

75 very humid degrees, and not a speck of breeze = Ugh!

Since it's Saturday, I got up a little later to run.  8 am!  I checked the temp and it was "only" 75 degrees, which, although warmer than I like, isn't as bad as it could be. Humidity was about 80% but when I stepped outside it was like walking into a (kind of puny) sauna.  Not a blade of grass was moving and the air was completely still.  


I did my scheduled run with the single walk break that I was supposed to take.  Once again, I kept feeling like I needed to take an additional break to slow down a little, but pushed past it, convincing myself that I only wanted to slow down, but that I didn't need to slow down.  And that was right.  I didn't need to slow down at all.  In fact, when our neighbors drove by and waved at me, I managed to speed up a little.  I saw another neighbor and was even able to smile at him when he nodded (I seriously doubt that I ever smile when I'm running... I'm much too busy trying to breathe for that kind of thing).  


I felt good while I was out there, but knew that I was slow, for the most part.  The sun was shining on me and sweat was running into my eyes.  Who would have ever thought that Ms. Radcliffe would be congratulating my on a PR for the mile!  Certainly not me, I can tell you that!  But to my utter dismay, that was exactly what happened!  Whoda thunk?


There really wasn't much going on in the neighborhood this morning.  Aside from the two neighbors that drove by, I saw a woman down the street drinking her coffee on her deck and another woman riding her bike.  She moved to the other side of the road when she went by me.  I think she might be worried that this running thing is "catchy" or something.  


It's supposed to be 88 with scattered thunderstorms today.  Tomorrow is supposed to be more of the same, but in the 90s.  I really am looking forward to running in the fall when it's not so blasted hot out.  I think I'll spend some time researching some interesting places with scenic routes and try to get some of those in in September and October.  Well, I'll sign off here, until tomorrow's run (hopefully not in the rain).

A wonderful morning to run!

Wow!  It was 70 degrees at 5:45 am and NOT humid for a change.  It was fantastic out this morning! Wonderful!  I felt great as I headed out and today's routine was three short runs with walk breaks.  Saturday will be two slightly longer runs, then I imagine Sunday is another single longer run.  I'm looking forward to it.  I did, however, JUST realize (as I was typing that "I am looking forward to it") that I'm only scheduled to run on Saturday.   Hmmm...  Since I AM looking forward to it, I imagine I should go ahead and do it both days.  It seems very odd to me that I would make such a statement, but bizarre thoughts of running - and enjoying it - have been popping into my head lately.  Maybe I have a fever!  What's the cure for that?

Rant warning!  At boot my last camp I was wearing a t-shirt from a run that I worked at a few years ago. Our instructor, commented that she is doing a run in Detroit soon and I said that I am too. She looked at me, rather puzzled - and surprised - and said "Huh!!!"  She gave me a look like "Um... ok, if you think so..."   I was actually hoping for a little more encouragement than that.  I've had so little self-confidence for so long, that a stranger can totally shake what confidence I do have.  I thought about that and decided that I am absolutely going to do an awesome job at that 5K, and I'll show her.  Okay, she won't know (or care) but I WILL!  And she won't be my instructor then, so maybe I'll send her an email:  "Hi, you didn't really give me any encouragement when I told you about this in boot camp, but I finished and did a stellar job for a  beginner, so you can suck it!"  Rant done.

What does it mean that I often find myself yawning when I run?  I'm pretty sure I'm not bored!  It's not that I feel tired, or sleepy when I'm out there (seriously, I go first thing in the morning).  Is it just my way of trying to take in more oxygen?  I would hate for people to see me running, and yawning, and think that I am the most apathetic runner ever!  Besides, I really try not to have my mouth open that long when I run to avoid inhaling the bugs in my path.  Also, today was garbage day in my neighborhood, which presents a variety of additional obstacles.  I already deal with the parked cars and speed bumps, then on Thursdays we throw in garbage cans, recycling bins and yard waste!  Plus there's the stuff that people put out displaying the "free" sign  because they don't really want it anymore, but they don't want to throw it out either. 

Well, that's about it from me.  I'll be back on Saturday with fewer obstacles and longer runs.  Til then...

Woo hoo! Longest run ever!

Well, it was the longest for me, anyway!  Today was the day that the C25K program had me do one single run!  5 minutes of warm up walking, a 20 minute run, and then another walk to cool down!  If that weren't enough, I actually ran a couple of minutes longer than I needed to.  I figured that I might as well just go all the way to the other side of the mailboxes before I slowed to cool down.  I must admit that there were a couple of points that I thought I really needed to take a walk break,  but then realized that it wasn't that I needed to take the walk break - it was merely that I wanted to take a walk break.  There's a big difference between needing and wanting, so I persevered and it got me another PR with Paula Radcliffe chatting at me!  Yay!

Not that I am speedy yet, by any means!  And I know that my recorded pace is off because my Nike+ isn't calibrated correctly, but I LOVE that I can see progress!  Oooh!  I need to hear/say that again... I can see progress!  I feel particularly good about today's run because my muscles are a little sore.  

You see, I started my boot camp class yesterday morning.  I got up at 4:30 am to leave by 5:00 and went to exercise outside in the dark.  I'm not going to lie...  It was hard!  The class was intermittent strength/core training and running laps.  It was already 76 degrees (24 C) and humid at 5:30.  And it was dark - but not too dark for the mosquitos!  Today it hurts to cough or inhale deeply and raising my arms is a real challenge.  But I'm going to go back and do it again tomorrow!  Tomorrow's routine is supposed to be a "total body blast" and I'm hoping that doesn't include abs and arms.  I have a feeling I'll be disappointed, though!  Our instructor told us that there will come a time when we look forward that sore feeling from working out.  Desire it!  I don't know.  That seems odd to me.  Who wants to have pain?  If I want pain, I could just get a tattoo and have some cool new body art to show for it.

Today's run was totally uneventful, with the exception of going faster and longer than I have in the past, and continuing on when I wanted to slow down.  Hmmm... put it that way and maybe it wasn't so uneventful!  It was dark when I started and light when I got back home.  I scared a small family of rabbits out of a neighbor's yard.  That will teach them for nibbling in the garden. 

Boot camp tomorrow and running again on Thursday.  See ya then!