Running In Place

Like Dianna I have to take a moment to lament my lack of blog activity lately - really for some time now. I could go on about a shortage of time/energy/opportunity by the time I get home from work and it would be true - but the reality is that I think I really need to prioritize it for my own good. Here I am in week 2 of preparation for my very first 5k on Jan. 1 and I think I ought to chronicle it a little. I want a tangible record of my progress to use as ammunition against that silly part of me that would allow my fears and nervousness to start planting seeds of doubt about my true abilitiy. And I want to get fired up, which I am having a hard time doing lately - and which is kind of dispiriting because when I was first able to run again post-injury, I was so happy grateful joyful, and I’m sad that it’s not still there like it was. So I’ll make it be there - or rather, I’ll take it out of the box that it’s been in, which is tucked away in the closet behind work/home/other miscellaneous and put it back on!

Ok, let’s talk running…

Today was good, very good! As it is now dark by the time I get out of work, I can’t run on my trail anymore. There is a little village between my office and my home that is well lit and quietly residential, so with my reflective vest and little flashing bicycle taillight clipped to it, I can pretty much run all over town. The weather this evening couldn’t be beat - 45F, clear & dry, no wind. Unseasonably mild and not to be missed! 1.75 miles slated for today - as I was warming up and then for about the first 1/2 mile I felt kind of sluggish and uninspired but then it started to turn. The fact is that the mile/mile & a half or so that I have most recently been running, sans walk breaks, is not unbearable, but also not yet easy, not even comfortable. So you can imagine how surprised I was when, at around a 1/2 mile, I kind of suddenly realized that, though I wasn’t necessarily running easily, I was running comfortably and was feeling strong. That was very reassuring. At the 1.75 mile mark I still felt good and although I didn’t want to be foolish and overdo (especially since I’m just running on pavement again in the last week), I wasn’t ready to stop. So I took it to 2 miles - first 2 miles ever without a walk - and a strong (if not fast) 2 miles. Speaking of fast, I am giving an open invitation for anyone to give me a slap upside the head if I start complaining about how slow I am. I want to be determined not to get caught up in that right now, there will be plenty of time for speed later.

Tuesday’s Run - Happy Blah Whining
Garmin says:
Distance: 2 miles
Time: 22:31
Avg. Pace: 11:15

One last thing (totally non-running, just a bragging daughter)

Check out the cool pic of my dad that was on the front page of the local daily paper:

The caption underneath read:
Vietnam Veteran Gary Wedgewood of Floyd lowers his service cap during a prayer following the Veteran’s Day Parade Sunday in Whitesboro.

I love my good old dad