You Hear That?

I noticed something while running without my music recently.  The swoosh of my thighs rubbing together!  Ugh!   My name is Kit and my spandex is a little tight.  There, I said it!

I also came to another realization.  I have a long way to go!  I'm running about 2.5 miles right now.  As I was huffing and puffing down the road today, I thought how in the world am I going to do 26.2 miles?!  That is an overwhelming goal.  Then I reel myself back in and remind myself of baby steps.  First off, I have run every day scheduled on my plan.  That is awesome! Plus, I have a lot of training ahead of me.  Not like I'm running a marathon next month!

And I will take a camera with me the next time I run.  I busted out laughing at the cows today.  As I ran by, they looked up at me, grass hanging out of their mouths, with this "what in the heck?" look on their face.  I have to get a picture of it.

I took a picture with my phone of the sun setting as I finished my run this evening.  The cell camera just doesn't do it justice.

Suckin' Air

Some days my runs really suck.  You ever have those?  Like this morning, I ran the same stretch of road I've been running all week.  Yet I was slower and having a much harder time.  I think it had to do with the humidity.  The temp was in the high 80s, which is what it usually is when I run in the evenings, so that shouldn't have mattered.  But the humidity killed me.  The air feels so thick.  My best guess is I have to work harder cause of  it thus my run sucks!  Not a good way to start off the day.

Then I look at the upside, I did get my butt out of bed and run.  That's a gold star for me.  No matter how bad the run was, I was out doing it.  And I enjoyed all the cattle giving me crazy stares and the butterflies fluttering around me.  Can't beat that.

Run time: 25 mins

Running on a Country Road

You really never know what you're going to come across.  Today they were harvesting the wheat along my joggin' trail.  So, using my brain, I decided not to use the IPod and pay attention.  You know, semis, tractors, pickups and a combine might need to be paid attention too.

Luckily, the combine was in the back of the field when I went by the first time.  The trucker said hello as I passed.  I think he thought I was a nut.  On my return trip, they were unloading the wheat into the trailer.  As I went by this time, the trucker said "Isn't it a little hot for that?"  I just yelled "oh yea!"  Then laughed and jogged on.  It was only in the mid-80s.  But if I wait much longer, it will be dark.

And why is it when I run past a cow, I have to say "hey moo moo?"  I do, almost every time.  Something's wrong with me.

Run time: 24:45

Awesome Run!

You ever have one of those?  I did today.  It felt great.  Well, after the first mile, it felt great.  The first mile always kills me.  I felt so good at the end, I sprinted to the finish!  Plus I ran the second half faster than the first.  And the second half is uphill!  Maybe it was the smoothie and soy nuts I ate prior to running?  I'll have to do that again.  See if it helps.

Run time: 25:30 min

I Need Support

A support system is so freakin' important when you undertake such a challenge.  I've had a lot of people over the years tell me I need a workout buddy or a running partner.  Thing is about me, I don't like relying on someone else when I'm doing my thing.  Is that strange?  I'm really a solo act.  I don't like scheduling times and having to make conversation.  When I workout or run, I want to do it when I want to do it.

With all that said, I still need a support system.  Luckily, I have the Husband.  He's awesome.  This running thing is not new to him.  I've been running for many years now.  At first, he wanted to run with me.  But I nicely asked him not to.  I wanted "my thing".  Something that I was good at.  I knew if he ran, he would be better than me.  He was sweet enough to step down and let me have it.

The Husband has been known to drive next to me, be my water station and my cheering section.  He puts up with me needing to get my run in before we can go do whatever it is we need to do.  He calms my nerves before races.

The best example of his support was when I ran a half marathon.  He was waiting around mile 9 for me.  I was not doing well.  Gettin' down on myself.  He encouraged me to push on.  Then he started joggin' with me.  Only thing was, he was wearing wranglers, cowboy boots and a carhart jacket!  Once we realized he couldn't turn around to get to the finish line, he ran the rest of the way with me!  At the last water station, a volunteer yelled to me "Is that man bothering you?"  I just laughed and told them no.  Guess they thought he was some sort of crazy stalker or something!

So with my support system, I'm working on developing my base.   I'm running for time instead of distance.  I plan to do this for about a month before I start increasing my mileage.  
Today's run:  25 minutes

I Think I'm Insane

I started my training today!  Got up this morning and headed out for a 30 minute jog down the country road.  I wanted to get out before it got too hot.  Not the best time of year to start running!  It was in the upper 70s by 8:00am and the humidity was about 90%.  Had a nice breeze blowing too.

I love running down our road.  There is hardly ever any traffic.  I only had one car pass me the entire time I was out.  It's very peaceful.  The cows tend to look at me like I've lost my mind as I run by.  I wish I could take my camera along to show y'all what it's like.  But I would never get my running done then.  Would be spending all my time taking pictures!

The jog was not easy.  But I knew I needed to get out on the road.  It's a lot different then jogging on a treadmill. I also haven't been running since all the problems with my Achilles.  But I'm happy to say it didn't bother me at all.

I took my Ipod shuffle with me today.  I usually don't listen to music when I run out here.  I want to be able to hear if a vehicle is approaching.  But today I decided I would take my life into my own hands.  I wore it but had it set very low.  Plus the wind was blowing so hard that I couldn't hear a car coming if I wanted to.  And I had my road ID bracelet on.  I bought it several years back when I was running a lot.  It has my name and emergency contact information on it.  Just in case someone does wipe me out or they find me laid out on the road!  If you run, I suggest you get one.

So here is what I looked like upon my return home...

Now I just need to work on running another 4 or so hours in addition to the 30 mins!