What More Can One Ask...

This week has been an absolutely gorgeous week with perfect weather and temps! I can hardly wait each day to don my running shoes and head out the door. The average temp when I leave the house has been 43 degrees and by the time I'm heated up it's in the low 50s. Breathing fresh, cool air makes for an exhiliarating run.

I've had mixed runs this week. Kent and I have had the pleasure of visiting with his cousin and wife from Colorado while they are in town. We've spent more time with them than we ever have before. I just love them. They are so easy to be around. And with us running every day, they have elected to join us most days. Ronnie ran Sunday morning. We joined him and Judy, as well as a local friend, Frank, for a run on Monday. As it turned out, Frank lived around the corner from Ronnie when they were kids and played together. What a coincidence! Our visiting afterwards was like a reunion.

Monday is usually my distance day because I normally take off running on Sunday so I'm good and rested for it. But this week we changed it up a bit. I ran 5 miles with Frank while Kent and Ronnie ran together. Judy walked and was able to run a tad; but she is working around a broken foot and it was braced. To begin with, she recently had knee surgery on that leg; shortly afterward, she turned her foot while at the house and broke her foot. She's doing exceptionally well considering.

On Tuesday, we headed out for my long run on the Longleaf Trace in Hattiesburg. Plans were to put in 10 miles. It's been quite a while since I've run a double-digit mile and was looking forward to it. With the weather so nice, I felt great and ended up making it an 11 mile run! I was very excited. Unfortunately, I did not plan my water breaks correctly and was quite tired, thirsty and exhausted afterward. This won't happen again. It's an experience-thing! I drank my water and stopped at a store to get a banana and shortly I was on top again and was able to relish in my accomplishment.

I passed Kent toward the end of his planned 6.5 miles and he looked great. Heat and humidity have a terrible negative affect on him because he loses so much fluid and he gets weak. But not Tuesday. When I got in he was so excited and began to tell me to ask him how he did. You know, like a kid would do...guess what I did?...guess what I did?... Throughout the last couple of weeks I've talked so much about the Rock-n-Roll Half in New Orleans last February and getting excited about doing it again that it has rubbed off on him. He's been thinking that he might could run/walk it. His run went so well, too, that he extended his 6.5 to 8.5 miles!! We were both stoked! He is beginning to see that the Half may be something he can accomplish. I know he can as I've done it and, to me, it was easy because it was fun (except for my fall, which won't keep me from doing it again). The Rock-n-Roll's are a lot of fun!

I am ahead of schedule preparing for my half coming up at Thanksgiving that now I'm toying with the idea of using this time to work on doing the Full Marathon at the Rock-n-Roll! It seems to be on my mind a lot. Though I would love to run the entire thing, I will not put that pressure on me and accept walking some if I have to. Sooooo, I'm about to talk myself into doing it.

Wednesday we all met again at the Sportsplex and ran like we did on Monday. And, today Kent went to the pool while I ran quietly on the streets. It just doesn't seem like I've put in so many miles this week. And if it wasn't for our garage sale on Saturday, there would be plans to run somewhere then. I'll put in a few more miles tomorrow and that will end my mileage for the week.

I hope everyone gets a chance to get outside and do something good for your body. Please try to make some time to enjoy this wonderful, God sent season!!