Mondays I try to get in a good little chunk of mileage. It kind of lets me stack it up so that it's easier to meet my mileage goals for the week. That way I don't feel like I am playing catch-up the rest of the week and there's less pressure to get it all in. I prefer going at least 5 miles on Mondays - Plus I'm coming off two rest days so it just makes sense! Sometimes I can imagine the hills are issuing me a challenge. I can't wait to tackle them and take 'em down! Yesterday was no different. I headed out and the big hill on my chosen route is about a mile and a half from the house. That gives me plenty of time to get warmed up good before I get there! I love the challenge! What I wasn't ready for was the return trip. (I prefer out and backs because I know my legs need the well rounded workout.) But when I turned around to come back I was facing a stiff head wind! I pushed it so hard! And each time the wind picked up - I picked up my pace in response. ...

For several weeks I had been driving by this wilderness area . It's only a couple of miles from my apartment and I've been wanting to explore. Finally, Thursday was an off day (supposed to be a rest day) from running and for cross training I figured I would ride my bike up there to see about the trail. It turns out to be almost exactly 2.5 miles up. That means I get a solid 5 miles of biking in! That's a plus. The internet said the trail was one mile. I thought maybe I would ride it to check it out and then come back and run it at a later date. I passed a runner who helped me know where some tricky spots were as far as following the right trail. Then he told me it was more like 1.5 miles around. I rode it first, then decided I had time to run it once just to see if I liked it...I loved it!! So I went back Friday and ran it 3 times! While I was exploring I thought about how different the terrain was. But it didn't matter if I was riding there are on the supposedly sm...

All weekend long I could hear "the big hill" calling out a challenge to me! So this morning I put on my running shoes and headed straight for it! I was doing pretty good too. To be honest I didn't find it to be too terribly challenging as my mind was walking through so many other things I really wasn't thinking about it much. I got to the road that is about half a block from the top and two cars approached the intersection. No problem. The first one went on through and the second one stopped... right on the cross walk! For safety reasons, even though I know I have the right of way - I go behind the car. It's part of never assuming someone else sees you just because you saw them! I kind of shake my head in disbelief at people's driving habits but am really caught up in my music and thoughts too much to worry about it much. But then I saw her look... the Biblical term for what it looks like is a proud look. I could be way off (but I'm not usually!) but ...

After my whole week off I knew I needed to go easy on this old body this week. I ended up logging about 11 miles. That's a little more than half of my normal weekly miles. Next week my goals will be closer to 15 miles as I gently build back up to longer runs. I still have a 10K and the Chicago half to prepare for. In addition to this I am making some dietary changes - going at it slow so I don't send my body too much into shock! I'll eat what I have here so I don't waste what I've spent, but begin to replace with whole, healthy options as I need to buy more. And I started walking in the evenings. When I first found this apartment one of the things I liked about it was the park with a paved path that is behind the complex. My son is in a wheelchair and it looked like a great way to get him out of the house. It really was a factor in choosing this particular apartment. I measured and it's about .4 of a mile long, but it's an out and back. From my door, thr...

On any given day there are tons of things that can be used for an excuse to not run. These excuses can range from very mild to real excuses, like my leg just fell off! And there are legitimate times when runners really do need to take a day, or even a week, off. When there is a serious injury or a family emergency it just isn't always using good judgment to try to get that run in. And of course, if it is actually thundering and lightening it is unsafe to take a run! Actually, so far lightning is the only reason I have seen a race postponed! So this morning after the bulk of the storm passed I headed out in the rain for a good solid run. I figured rain really could be a legit excuse; but as I found out at the half marathon - you never know what you might get on race day so it could be a great training exercise. And boy was it! First, I had trouble with my glasses during the half marathon as the rain kept getting on them and I couldn't see well. So today presented a perfect...

I must admit that I am just learning about running. Although I've been at it for just over two years I consider myself pretty much a beginner. One thing I am learning though is that there really is a balancing act to be done to make the body all work. For me, it's a body,soul and spirit thing and they all have to come into balance to make me into a decent runner - which I am determined to become! My body does all the physical part, of course. But then I have learned how stress, emotions and situations can really slow me down and affect my performance. That was amazing when I started seeing that one! But the time I run is my time; it's when I do a lot of my praying and sorting things out. So I think it's easy to say that my whole being is involved in my running adventure! What if we could (or would) engage our whole being into serving Him? What if we literally threw our entire being, body, soul and spirit into His service? It's too easy to divide it out - our spi...

Yesterday I was doing a teaching broadcast. As a closer I was referencing Hebrews 12: 1-2. Of course the phrasing about running the race with endurance caught my attention. So I camped there a bit and talked about endurance and running the race well. I mentioned that a lot of people can run - but they are not running well. By running well, I mean giving it the best you can for that moment. We cannot or will not all cross the finish line at the same pace or time. But we can each one run the very best for the moment. You really cannot run anymore than the moment you are in anyway! And for each moment we must reach out there and grab it and do the very best with what we have right now. I also cannot run two races at the same time. I can really only be in this moment. And to run well, I really need to be in this moment.   Sometimes it can be helpful to think that we only have to endure the moment.   And seriously, we do not know what a day may bring. Each moment we do have we ...