Thankful Thursday

Guess what was waiting for me when I got home from work yesterday!

Give up?

This gorgeous tall tin of homemade cookies.

Made in the kitchen of the one, the only OldGirl Lady Lee

Do you have any idea how tempting it was to just curl up on my bed with those cookies and not move? Very tempting. But alas, this girl has a race to run in a week and a half and I'm in training. So, I changed my clothes and hit the pavement. I ran my three miles, came home, took a shower and then I tore those cookies up!






Just a few ... like I said, I'm in training.

Thanks OldGirl!

Jog Now ... Walk Now (Week 1, Day 2)

I may look evil in this picture but believe me when I tell you I was happy to be out there.

It's been raining for the past two days and it's been cold. But it wasn't too cold for me to stay with the program.

Yes, I'm wearing ear muffs.

My obsessive personality is beginning to show. My biggest fear is that I get to DC and I'm the last person to stumble across the finish line. I know how irrational that is. But still ...

Redemption on the Track

I thought about this run all day long. I had the feeling that I was becoming obsessed. In my mind, I had something to prove to myself. In reality I’m sure I had nothing to prove but the gnawing feeling would not go away. I worked all day thinking, “I’ve got to do better than yesterday.” To my surprise I received a performance award at work which came with a pretty substantial cash component. Unfortunately, my perceived inability to run outside for a period of time overshadowed the joy of that moment.

When 4:30 finally arrived I got in my car and headed home. Once I arrived I went upstairs and traded my four-inch heels for my running shoes. It was warm outside so I grabbed a pair of shorts and a breathable t-shirt and I began to stretch. My daughter was watching “She’s Out of Your League” on HBO and I decided to join her while I waited for 6:00. The distraction was welcomed. I asked my daughter to come with me to cheer me on. She says, “Mom, I can’t run!” I respond, “You don’t have to run. I’m going to the track so you can just sit in the bleachers.” No response. Bummer.

Once the movie was over and I was done stretching I took a deep breath and headed to the school. The walk over would serve as my warm-up. Once I arrived I noticed a few people but nothing to hinder me. I put my headphones in and began to listen to Jennifer Hudson, said a quick prayer and started my run. Slow and easy. One time around and all is well. Second time around and I’m feeling pretty good. I start the third lap and I feel a cramp in my right side. I tried to run through it but my body was screaming for me to slow down. So I walked as I held my side. Praying the entire time. Telling myself, “You can get through this, you can get through this.” Third lap is complete and at the beginning of the fourth I began to run again. The pain from the cramp is gone and I’m slightly picking up my pace and I notice a familiar figure sitting in the bleachers. It’s my daughter. As I ran by her I smiled and said, “You are my favorite daughter.” She just rolled her eyes. As I begin my fifth lap I’m realizing that the longer I’m out there the easier it seems. I thought that cramp was going to take me out. Fifth lap complete and I walk at the beginning of the sixth lap but half way around I realize that I felt good enough to run, so I did. At the end of the sixth lap I felt like I could have continued but the sun was setting and my daughter looked like she was getting chilly and I didn’t want to overdo it.

I accomplished what I set out to accomplish. I did better than yesterday.

Notes on the First Outdoor Run

My mood: Down but not defeated

I did my first outdoor run yesterday and I went into it knowing that it would be difficult. And it was. The treadmill has successfully given me a false sense of security and after the run I was asking myself, “What have I gotten myself into?”

The problem is the treadmill controls my pace. While out on the open road, I have to control the pace and if I start out too quickly I’ll tire out quickly. Controlling my pace is harder than actually running. The plan was to run at the track next door but the students were occupying it and I couldn’t wait for them to leave so I went out into the neighborhood. I had one route in mind but once I got started I realized I had bitten off more than I could chew. I cut the run short. The good news: I ran the entire time. No walking. It was maybe a half mile.

I can do this. I have to do this. Here’s something you should know about me: once I say I’m going to do something … I do it. I said I was going to lose 5 pounds in September and I did it. I may have gained it back but I did what I said I was going to do. Last March I said I was giving up meat for the month and I did it. Those were the worst 31 days of my entire life but I did what I said I was going to do. My word is everything is to me. What do you have if you don’t have your word?

So, I’m going to do this. Tonight I’m going to wait until the students get off the track (probably around 6:00) and I’m going to do this run again. And I will have better results than I did yesterday.

And that is me encouraging myself. Feel free to jump in …

Have a great day.