This weekend I did a 5K that served as a stark reminder that I do have a heart condition and I do need to take it easier than I really want to. I really don't even like admitting I'm dealing with CHF or any kind of heart issue. I've tried to talk all my doctors out of that diagnosis and no one will budge off of it. Saturday's race has helped me refocus and I'm spending this week resting and regrouping. Here's how it all went down. My blood pressure has been running a bit high and was up a little at my cardiologist appointment last week. He didn't offer me any meds for it as he knows I want to manage it, if possible, with diet and exercise. I was also given some paperwork for being overweight . That kind of hurt my feelings. lol. But I am barely at that marker and if I lose one pound I'm not in the overweight category. (Side note - I've lost 5 pounds since then! lol) Some of it can be water retention - which should also be a clue I pay attention...

Today I ran my 75th 5K. I didn't check to see how many races I've done overall, just 5Ks. I actually did pretty good. I had the best chip time of any 5k since my CHF diagnosis. I'm still really slow in comparison but I'm very happy to be under 40 minutes again. That just puts me closer to the 30 minute mark and my old PR which I honestly hope to reach one day. This week I did a total of 20 miles and completed my second week of marathon training. I'm very happy with that, but it sure got me to thinking a lot about the journey I've been on. Last year I remember doing this race, the Oklahoma Strong 5K and just not feeling good. I felt like I was very sluggish and it was actually cold last year. This year it was 72 at the beginning of the race - which is really hot for me anymore. Even though I slowed down each mile, I still had all 3 under 13 minute miles. I'll take that for today. I can't get where I want to be without starting where I am. Oh, I woul...

Is it a sin that I want to just throw on my running shoes, tie them up and go out for a run? It sure seems like my body is fighting that this week. I've "been good" in that I have taken it easy and I've eaten right (mostly). I learned early on that there is a lot more mental work needed to be a runner than I ever imagined. But complicate that process with a chronic condition and boy do I have to think a lot! Right now one of the most difficult mental challenges I'm facing is trying to schedule my workouts and runs. Since I never know how cooperative my body is going to be on any given day, it's hard to say that I'm going to do my "long run" today. Yesterday I figured I still wanted to get 20 miles this week and I had two days to do it. I needed 6 miles to get to 20.  I headed out for a run thinking I'd try for 4 which would leave just 2 to finish off on Saturday. My butt was dragging the whole way so I only got 3. And for now, I just have t...