Being Chased

Dogs!
Neighborhood dogs!
Animal Control- no help.
After 6 years and complaints by all the neighbors-
no help.
It is amazing what money can do.
So, what does one do?
Pepper spray has been purchased.
Anyway, back to my evening run.
It was great, I did 2 miles!
I hope I don't regret that in the morning.
Have not found a 5K training schedule that I like yet.
Hopefully by this weekend, so I can start it
on Monday.
Working my core and back, still weak,
but I can tell they are strengthening day by day.
Well, my bed is calling.
Happy running and many blessings.

Morning Wake Up

Getting up at 6 am this week for my quick one mile runs
and 10 minute training workouts.
Here I am after my 10 minute workout. I am outside waiting for
a little more light before I take off on my run.
Living by a marsh, you wait til there is good light,
no need to run into a gator friend, no sir.
My goal for next week is to get up a 5:30 am.
Trying to get myself back into the habit of early wake ups.
Baby steps, baby steps.

Monday Run- Week One of Ten

Hot humidity, there is not enough cold, sweet southern tea
to cool this day off.
Ran this am and I think I lost 10 pounds from all the sweat
coming off me. Most was lost before I even left my driveway!
Ran only one mile.
One mile!
I really want to accomplish one mile comfortably
and at a happy pace before I build up.
This is so frustrating.
Before I injured my back,
6 miles was my distance for each run during the week
and 15 to 18 miles was my long run distance on Sundays.
Oh well.
Life.
No more posts about what I use to run.
Need to focus on now.
Let's start again---
I ran one mile this am and sweated a lot!
Had a 9 mile pace.
Will run again this evening too, just one mile again.
This week will be all about running that one mile
and feeling good about it.
This morning, back is doing good.

Going to look up a 5K training plan to start next week.
Really looking forward to starting a training plan.
1st goal: run a full 5K on October 2nd!!!!
68days!!!

Getting Going

Everyone who has ever run in a race know the thrill
you get when the starting gun goes off.
I had that feeling at my first race after my back injury
July 4th.
I think my nerves were worse than I ever remembered them.
My goal for that race was to just complete it.
If I felt my back at any time during the race,
I was going to slow to a walk.
I planned a one minute run, one minute walk rhythm.
Never done this before.
This was my first attempt at doing any running at all since the injury.
All my training at this point had been speed walking
with a pace of 11 minutes per mile.
My physical therapist said to give it a try, but
to keep the run pace slow.
At the start of the race I thought I was going to throw up.
I said to myself--"get a grip on yourself, it is just a race."
But, I was scared too.
What happens if I can not complete it?
Would I have to say good bye to running?
My physical therapy had gone sooo good,
I was even released and given a green light to walk/run.
Still, I was nervous.
The gun went off and so were we.
I was able to walk/run my one minute run, one minute walk
throughout the whole race.
Time 36 minutes!
As I crossed the finish line, I raised my hands
in the air.
What a relief, what a thrill!
I did it!
First baby step back.
Looking forward to the next step.
Now, if I can just get back to waking up at 5 am!
Many blessings.

Where I Am Right Now

Back injuries absolutely stink, really stink.
This one rocked my world, my 2010 plans, my 2010 running plans.
Let's start with how my 2010 started....
At the Disney Marathon in January.
Talking about cold--27 degrees cold and it was only going
to get up 49 degrees by mid day.
You have be be at the starting area by 3:30 am,
the race starts at 6:50 am.
By the time the race started, I could not feel my toes.
It was not til mile 5 that I could.
I had 3 layers of pants and shirts on, gloves, hat,
and a trash bag.
My friend, her first marathon, started off in trouble.
She could not catch her breath
and at mile 8 she had a full blown asthma attack.
She told me to go on,
no way, we were here together, so we had to drop out.
She recovered by the afternoon and
we did get to enjoy the park, just us girls.
Anyway, back to the point, had to drop out of that one.
Next race was a little 5K that was part trail, part road.
No problem, right, wrong.
I hit the trail and my back said a big HELLO!!!!
I completed the race by walking.
It went down hill from there.
After 3 months of physical therapy, love my therapist,
and 15 pounds later, here I am.
I have completed my first run since back injury,
a 5K on July 4th
by the walk/run method 1 minute run
followed by one minute walk.
36 minutes, not bad.
My back was tired afterward for a few days.
Working on strengthening my core and back.
Back injuries, slow recovery process.
I want my back back!
But, I refuse to relapse by being stupid.
I will go it slow.
Many blessings.