Running Rewards

I'm still not 100% after this respiratory infection and that is playing havoc with my training. I really had to push myself to get out today. Then, it started raining as I was getting ready to leave. I powered on and the rain didn't get too heavy until later in the run.

I ended up taking a different route than usual, and that lead to a domino effect of decisions about the route that lead to my reward. I changed my mind about how far north I was going to go when the rain got harder. I changed my mind about what street to run back on at the last second, even having to backtrack a couple of steps. And, then, a few blocks down that street, I could see someone walking a dog about a block ahead of me. There was no question it was a Cairn Terrier puppy. That bumped up my pace as I wanted to be sure to catch up before they took a turn. The owner was friendly and understanding about this complete stranger who wanted to pet his dog. I explained that I had had two Cairns, and he was more than happy to let me meet his four month old puppy. The puppy was thrilled to make a new friend and, in true Cairn form, was jumping up and licking me in no time. What a treat on a dreary, rainy day.

Love to Rip and Harper.

Treadmill Day

When I started running last winter, the deal I made was that if I stuck with it we would get a treadmill for this winter. The mill was delivered today. I hate that it takes up so much space, but I am so happy to be able to keep running without having to worry about darkness, cold temps, and ice.

10-10-10

I watched my first marathon today. I went out to cheer for my friend Josh, to take in the atmosphere, and to get inspiration by watching all of these amazing runners.

I'm so impressed by anyone who goes out to run a marathon. That will probably never be part of my running quest, but it certainly is inspiring. It was amazing to watch the elite and fast-paced runners. (I wasn't able to stay too long, so I only saw the wheelchair racers through the 3 hour pace group.) I was fascinated by the wheelchair racers, both by their strength and by all the different race chairs they used. (Yes, I am the daughter of a mechanical engineer.) The most moving part for me was watching the racer with prosthetic legs running. I don't even know how to put into words how or why that choked me up, but it was quite a moment.

Congratulations to everyone out there running today!

Cape May Beachfront Run

I was very excited about the Cape May Beachfront Run to run a race in one of my favorite places (and in my home state) and to run a race with my parents and siblings there to cheer me on. It's always great to run a new distance (read: automatic PR), and a two mile race meant that I would be able to run the entire race without taking a walk break, which was a good feeling. But the best part was having my family there. Not only did I have a personal cheering section, but it turns out I have a crew!

I highly recommend running a race with a crew. I will never be an elite athlete (my time for the 2 mile run was 23:52), but I sure felt like a rock star with my own coach, warm-up team, photographer, cheering section, and post-race massage therapist. Thanks to my family for all the support!

Coming down the home stretch in lucky number 22!



Post-race with the Sister Division of my crew. They kept me supplied with plenty of water and bananas while I recovered.