Running On...My Quest for C2FM

I decided to brush off the old hill routine of a few years ago - a brilliant little hill along the very quiet Village Nursery Rd that actually has two hill options. If you park in the valley of the two hills, you can decide which you want to do - the steeper, shorter one (37%), or the long, gradual one (30%). My workout had been 5 runs up the steeper one, walks back down then, on the fifth one, keep walking up the longer one, then run back down to repeat that sequence 5 times. Hits both hills, hits both the quads and the hamstrings, and good practice for uphill and downhill. To make sure I stuck to the plan - and for some company and a good catch-up - I called on my friend Janice to join me. The time flew by as we yakked about all sorts of things. And her awesome cadence helped me find a good rhythm, too. It was an awesome workout and the adrenaline is still pumping through my blood. So much to report about this run (you know how much I love my stats) - so I thought I'd let the...

This - is the first day since last Thursday that I've exercised... That - was a very short running streak! This - won't be the last time I have to pick myself up off the floor and get back at it... That - seems to be the M.O. around here! This - M.O. thing could be a self-fulfilling prophecy... That - has to end! In other 'this and thats'...I have taken up my pen and written 3700 words on a new manuscript since last week. It feels very, very good to be creating again. Now, if only running would feel very, very good ;) J

Ooh, I woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning. Grumpy is too kind of a word to describe my mood before I even swung my legs out of bed. And it didn't get much better - my work site wouldn't let me log in, I had an e-mail reminding me of a deadline that I was perfectly aware of (thank you very much), and I had promised to make a frittata for breakfast to use up some leftover potatoes (I do not do well in the morning at the best of times, to add cooking to the mix really did me in). I wanted to ditch the one mile run. I wanted to say 'I did four days of streaking, I could have a break'. I wanted to crawl back into bed. But it was only a mile (see this post for my mantra that I keep forgetting to chant). Not an hour. Not even 30 minutes. And I knew - I KNEW - that stepping onto that treadmill, no matter if I ended up walking or running, I would feel 100% better. And it did. Once I got my 3 minutes of walking in, I was ready to tackle the run. So ready, th...

Actual text from this morning's e-mail to my friend Brenda: '...and (get this) enjoying my one mile runs (actually looking forward to this morning's run - just trying to decide if I want to brave the -15 windchill for a walk/run outside or if I'll hit the treadmill again).' I am feeling the love with this walk/run streaking thing I got going! And I did end up going out for my workout. It was cold (relatively speaking - with apologies to my Prairie friends who are suffering in extreme cold warnings and bitter windchills), but it was sunny and I knew the fresh air would do me good. I have lots of winter gear, so I bundled up and headed out. It.Was.Cold. Luckily, the nasty wind was at my back on the way home...the run segment of the workout. I did a little over a mile - not absolutely sure because I actually remembered to NOT start my watch (Watchless Wednesday). And other than the cold, it felt awesome. I came home to gobble up leftover spaghetti that Ron fried ...

I keep forgetting to post inspirational quotes here. Love this one, especially as I've rekindled my interest in writing (and that's what occupied my mind on my treadmill 1 miler today.  Grit is not just simple elbow-grease term for rugged persistence. It is an often invisible display of endurance that lets you stay in an uncomfortable place, work hard to improve upon a given interest, and do it again and again. ~ Sarah Lewis J

I am nothing if not determined to get on that wagon and stay on it...no matter how violently it careens around corners in an effort to get me off once and for all. Yesterday, I reset. I spent hours on Friday and Saturday looking back at my various running journals. What worked, what didn't, how was I feeling, where did I fall off - all of those questions were answered in those many pages of bullet point information jotted down after runs. A wealth of knowledge and inspiration at my fingertips. And the biggest lesson I gleaned from my scribbles... I am nothing if not determined! One of the best time periods in this running gig I've been playing on and off for almost 10 years, was when I streaked. I ran 50 days (ended up being 57) in a row, starting with 1 miles runs and ending up with some 2 and some 3 mile runs. I even ran a half marathon in there! It was hard - my journal entries can attest to that - but I never felt stronger, more controlled and faster (!). Another fa...

WTH was I thinking when I set up a public blog to share my running quest? WTH was I thinking when I set up a running quest? WTH was I thinking when I thought this time would be different? OK, now that I've got that off my chest. Plenty of time to realize my goals, plenty of time to make 2019 THE year I stick to running. And work persistently toward a healthier me. This is more about finding that inner #grit than it is about checking a marathon off my bucket list. And as long as I remember that - remember that I am working toward finding a true happiness when it comes to running (or exercise in general) - then my WTH will become WTG (way to go). We continue on... J