I figured I would write this down BEFORE heading off to shower and get ready for the day. That way I won't get distracted with the rest of the day and completely forget this run. Gotta relish in the run in order to appreciate it when the inevitable next running break happens. Have I mentioned that I got a new GPS watch?(I am asking my one lonely reader or myself(who may actually be the one lonely reader of this blog), who knows?) My dad likes to mock me every time he sees me playing with it before I am heading out for a run. He said to me today: "Man, we had it so much easier when I was younger. We would just run. Didn't need to set our watch or put on fancy shoes." I then asked him if he actually planned a run ever, to which he said "No, we only ran in our "poop"(censor added by me) kickers after the cows." It really was a lot more simple back when your exercise was just part of your typical working day! The run was nice. I really want to run to the courthouse here in Rhinelander, Wisconsin. It is my favorite building in this 11 stop light town. (Eleven seems like a lot, but they all go blinking red at ten o'clock. Just like my dad who stops functioning at precisely ten every night.) The courthouse is copper topped and has greened over the years. So pretty. Anyway, if I were to run there from my parent's house, it would be 2.7 miles and I really am trying to be a good, listen to the doctor, kind of a girl. (In my head, I imagined that the courthouse was my turn-around point!) I really like Wisconsin. Even the smell of the woods as I run through them(via blacktop road) brings back memories of childhood and life. I never took much thought into how many shades of green there truly are until I moved out to Utah and come back here every summer. It is SO green and lovely here. I also liked to notice the deer paths within the woods as I ran by them. Very pretty morning, even if the sun has not shined in a week! Oh, and I used the virtual partner on my watch and that was very good motivation for me to keep at a good pace. I usually want to stop running during the last half of my run, and I actually still wanted to today, but I did not stop. I knew I had "somebody" at my heals the whole run. I also was almost done and saw a young girl in a yellow shirt running. I then felt old for a minute. I thought about her young legs and how she probably can run very fast and not get tired. It is hard getting old(I have experienced this as I have been playing softball two nights a week this summer, too. I have to warm up lots more than I ever had to in the past and I am still pulling muscles here and there. It was my right groin this past Thursday and hammy on Tuesday. Any tips on not having these little pulls? They aren't serious but they bug for the night.) While stretching, after the run, I was thinking about how I want to be an old lady and still be running. I then thought about how my body might just get old and I won't be able to be that lady running the 5k still at 65. I guess I need to cherish the moments now where I can put on those special shoes, geeky watch, and enjoy the green beauty of being a runner now! | 