weekend review

Getting back into my running has been slow. Coming off of two weeks with the flu and bronchitis has not been much fun. Amazing how much your energy is wiped out and how long it takes your body to recover. I am still coughing a bit but not enough to greatly impact my runs, the only impact has been my body still in recovery mode.

But I still laced up and went out! I took it easy the first day, pretty much just walked with a very slow jog every now and then. The next day was cold and rainy but I was able to jog a bit more with less walk breaks. I was happy to get home...not a fan of being cold and wet. Sunday was my best day of running. Went out at 9am (usually I go around 7:30 at night), beautiful partly cloudy day. Fairly decent in terms of temperature. My run was nice, still had to take a couple walk breaks as my body still has that loss of energy feel from being sick but my runs were longer and faster. I am not fast by any means but I went faster than the previous days.

I looked over different training plans and that I found on the web but since I am so new to running and all the jargon I just don't get it. So I think I will hire a coach. I came across a blog (http://seemomrunfar.blogspot.com/) and read all about Erin and her wonderful worldly family (amazing) and after her e-mail I am pretty sure she will be my coach. I am quite excited to start. I need someone who knows running to help me with my training. Can't wait to learn and be educated and to learn to be a runner!

my running buddy

I have a human running partner, she's great, really she is, most of the time. :-) But I wanted a 4-legged running buddy. I researched different breeds, talked to several people, googled best running dogs and found several breeds that would work. At first I thought, I didn't want a puppy, I should adopt and give a loving home to a dog in need. So the quest began to search every shelter and rescue place around. There were running dogs a plenty, but, big but, I couldn't adopt them. Why? Because I have two cats, I have two other dogs and oh my I have children. Even though I am a very dog savvy person and same with my husband, cats, dogs and kids we could not find anyone to adopt. Take that back, I found a dog. She was fine with cats, fine with other dogs but the shelter put a note that she was not to be adopted to family with children under the age of 10. My kids are 7 and 6, almost 8 and 7. What is two years? I understand all about the maturity and older kids aren't as wild. Save it. My kids are very mature and very dog savvy, I have seen teenagers who should not be allowed to have a dog. So long story short, we could not adopt that dog, couldn't even visit with her. The shelter didn't even have any history of aggression on this dog but they slapped the "no kids under 10" rule to her so we lost out. This went on for awhile. I gave up. I ended up looking for a breeder. At least this way I don't have to worry about the new dog getting along with my cats, dogs or kids.

So here is Zeke. An Australian Shepherd. Isn't he a beauty. He will be my running buddy, in time, he needs to grow first and train, like me.

I pick him up on Sunday, this Sunday. I am a tiny bit excited!!! We will make a good pair. I think I will even learn sheep herding with him!

a new me

Today is the day. I will be amazing. I will strive to do my best. Today is the day I start to learn to run. Yes it is true I have been running for almost a year. I started in April 2012, not really knowing anything about how to run or where to start. I found a partner and we just went for it! Oh boy was that a mistake. I remember I was always in pain, in agonizing pain! My shins, my knees, my lungs hurt like no other. My partner - she was not sore, she was not in pain, or at least that is what she said. I thought I would never run, thought I was a failure. That is when I got smart (lightbulb finally came on) and started to search on anything that has to do with running for beginners. Let me tell you, there is a lot of information, almost too much and sometimes they contradict each other.

Three things that I learned...
1) get a training program
2) buy good shoes from a running store
3) understand that it will take time to be able to run

I mean it takes us how long to learn to walk...one would think that we should know it will take time to learn to run.

I have had my share of road races. I love them even though I always thought I sucked. I have a wonderful sign hanging in my laundry room that reminds me (it is suppose to anyway) that the miracle is that I started not that I finished. I love my sign.

So I will get my shoes on today and I will run. I will be amazing. I will learn to run and learn to love it!