I have crossed the threshhold...

...into being a 'real' runner. I lost my first toenail Sunday! For those of you who are unaware, one of the pitfalls of running is toenail trouble (just ask Laura!). They can turn black from the repeated pounding and/or from wearing shoes that are not sized properly. None of mine have turned black, but one fell off, and another is on its way. I actually thought this was just a problem faced by long distance runners such as half-marathoners. Now most of you know that I am a girly-girl, and I do like a nice pedicure occasionally, so missing toenails can present a problem. Fortunately, there was a beautiful new (albeit only partially grown) nail waiting beneath the old one. On top of losing toenails to running, one of our dogs knocked a landscaping brick on one big toe, and that nail is nasty and black. I have attempted to camouflage my little problems with a lovely shade of pink polish ~ but don't try to get a closer look next time you see me!

I am almost afraid to say it, but running is going so well right now. I am no longer sore all of the time; my heals feel okay once I get going; and I actually enjoy the running part and not just the after effects. What progress! Last night Jackie and I ventured out, although rain was imminent. It was a hot day, so running in the rain sounded rather appealing. It didn't rain heavily when we ran, but the lightning got rather fierce. We were about 2 miles from our car when there was a loud clap of thunder and a creapy flash of lightning. We laughed (nervously), and kept running. Every time the sky would flash, we would just look at one another and venture on. I think that running is draining my common sense! I would never let my daughters play out in stormy weather, but there I was, running in the lightning with wet clothes on! Thank goodness I am pretty good with God right now (in my humble opinion).

Teachers returned to school today. Getting back to work will be the real test of my dedication to running. I feel that I have more energy from the continuous exercise, so I hope that I can keep it up. Fortunately my girls do not play fall or winter sports, so at least I don't have to work that into my schedule. Better get ready...we are headed out tonight.

Summer's Almost Over

The countdown has begun. We only have two more weeks of summer vacation, and I am not certain where the time went. I love my job and look forward to meeting a new batch of students, however I haven't had much down time this summer, and would love a week to do nothing but read and sit by a pool! As it is, this is our last week of hosting our oldest granddaughter, and on Sunday we will meet her parents, drop her off, and bring home her younger sisters. They will be with us next week. My husband will have a few days off while they are here, and I am really looking forward to having him around. Somewhere in this chaos, I have to finish getting my classroom ready for the first day of school. I have most everything ready, but there are always last minute things to take care of.

Running...it is going so well right now. I no longer walk around constantly aware of the soreness in my legs. I am not miserable while I run, especially when Jackie is with me. Having a friend to run with makes the time much more enjoyable. Carrying on a conversation takes my mind off of the hard work. On Saturday Jackie's leg began to hurt too badly to continue, so she went back to the track, and I continued on our route. The whole time my unfit subconscience was using negative talk to try to get me to just stop. My foot hurts. Gosh, my calves are sore today. I am really hungry. It probably isn't very safe to run in the heat when I am hungry. McDonalds sounds really good. Oh, I would love a sausage egg and cheese biscuit. I think I have to pee. I am tired. I just couldn't relax and enjoy the beautiful morning. I made it, though. The 'healthy me' won that battle!

Yesterday morning I met my niece Erin. We had talked about running together for awhile, so I texted her Saturday night and asked her to meet me. I was pretty proud that I was going to be able to run 4 miles with my 22 year old niece. I knew that she would have to ease back on her pace, but I could go the distance. When I arrived, I saw that she was already sweaty. She had run 4 miles on the treadmill before meeting me! There went my confidence! We did have a nice run, and it was great to have some time to chat and get caught up. (I secretly hope she is sore today!)

I ran again this morning, but by myself. I turned the 'Jesus' music on my Ipod, and took off. I wanted to run Mozart Street again, but I also had in the back of my mind to try to add some distance to that run. I normally only run 3.2 miles when running Mozart just because it is a tougher run. This morning I managed to run 5.0! I was actually a bit disappointed because I just knew that with the added distance I had run at least 5.5, but when I drove it I barely hit the 5.0 mark. I know that considering that almost 3 months ago was the first time I ran 2 miles, I should be very pleased (and I am), but I want to eventually get to 6.2 so that I can consider running a 10K.

My husband and I, along with our granddaughter, will be running a 5K this weekend in Jasper. I don't feel that my pace has improved any, but since I have been running further, I hope that the distance will seem easier. The following weekend we run in a 2-mile run. That should be pretty easy! I would like to find some other 5K to run this fall; having an upcoming race is great motivation to get out there and run.