What equals a CRUMMY run!

5 hours of sleep + 95 degree temperatures, that's what! UGH it was awful and I couldn't wait to get home. Not only was I HOT (what WAS I thinking?), I was dying of thirst and could hardly walk the rest of the way. One more lesson learned. I also realized that I need to do 'something' on the off days of training. I'm afraid I'm at the point now that I need to get some type of cardio in every other day of the run. Not sure what that will be yet. Wednesday is my 5 mile day and Friday is *6 miles*! It's getting hard, but the reward is awesome! I think I'll be sticking to early mornings and evenings until it cools WAY down.

Farther than EVER!

Oh my goodness! I just came in from my run today and I ran farther than I EVER HAVE in my LIFE! I'm soooo happy that I have pushed myself to this and am accomplishing something so challenging! I even ran them in under 15 minutes per mile! OH MY GOSH!!!! (Again the time thing isn't anything except that it is a measurement to me of how I'm doing.)


The boys have been in football conditioning for a few months. They have on occasion complained about how hard the coaches have been working them, harder than they have ever worked. They sometimes dread practice and come home sweaty and worn out. We've had constant conversations with them (especially one who is really having a hard time "digging deep") that they can't quit, they have to work hard and give it their all. Stretch themselves. So that they CAN be a better team, and when they DO win, they will realize that they deserved it. On Wednesday, when I couldn't get myself to get out there, but finally did, as I was toward the end, I thought about my boys. I realized that I can't expect them to do hard things if I'm not doing it myself. As I was running today, that went over and over in my mind. And how rewarding it is to accomplish those hard things. I think we are all growing by this experience and I'm glad we are sharing it together.

Thanks to all of you!  You are so supportive and I appreciate you so much!  :-)

This has nothing to do with running, but I have to say that I'm getting SO excited for football season! I love summer and don't want to hurry it away, but I can hardly stand waiting!  Today the boys got their helmets and practice jerseys, #11 and #32 are in the HOUSE! LITERALLY!, which they start practicing in this afternoon. Next Friday is our first scrimmage and the following Friday is our first GAME! It is the endowment game at home playing Syracuse.  I grew up with my brothers playing football, football on TV, radio, married a man who played and coached football and now 2 boys that play, well, you might say were destined to play, but I have come to LOVE the game and everything about it.  So, I saw this video and thought I'd post it.  It is my life, from a spectators perspective, a football mom, and I love it!  I hope you enjoy it! (I'm not much of a fan of country music, but I can't help but like the song because of the video, of course!)

Kenny Chesney - The Boys of Fall

W3D2 - AWESOME!

Honestly, this morning I was looking for ANY and EVERY excuse not to go.  I was planning on not running today.  But then, something dragged my lazy butt upstairs and got me dressed and out the door.  I think the motivation today was that I ran a different route.  I decided I would try a flat run today, so I ran Grizzly Way.  It was GREAT!  I'm excited that I was able to finish without walking at all (despite my negative attitude earlier) and even more excited that I timed myself at about 17.5 min. miles.  Now, I'm not worried about my time in this marathon, although I would love it if I wasn't the slowest in my age group.  This time "mark" is a mental thing and helps me see my progress, and is so gratifying.  The best part is, that I ran 1 mile more than Monday and it's getting easier!  AND I LOVE IT!  It feels sooo good after a good run...even the sweat. (hee hee)  SNOW CANYON 1/2 MARATHON...HERE I COME! :-)

W3D1

So far, so good.  Since last Wednesday's hard run, things are going great.  I ran the route again, and ran all but up the hill.  It felt really good.  The night before we had pasta and I was thinking that the carbs may have had something to do with the run feeling really good.  Maybe we need to have a pasta dinner the night before the 1/2.  Anyone tried this?  This morning the run was really good, no stopping and I'm feeling strong.  Over the weekend I actually thought "I think I can do this!"  I'm getting excited!  (But still a little scared!)  :-)

Week 2 Day 2

Wow, I thought this wouldn't be so hard, at least for the first few miles...I've done this before. But I think from having some time off, I've had a hard time getting up to where I was before. It's a little disappointing, but I'm hanging in there. Like I said, I'm going to do my best to run as much as I can of the 1/2 marathon, but I'm sure I'll be walking some.

Today I went out of my comfort zone and tried a different route. A big challenge....7000 S. A friend told me yesterday to give it a try and just run it. She gave me a few tips, said to start off with an Ibuprophen before and one after (which I have yet to take...maybe I don't need one?). Then, go all the way down 7000 to Grizzly Way and back (which is 3 miles), but on the way back, from 5600 to the first fire hydrant to sprint. So, I decided I'd try. The way down to Grizzly was great, it wasn't too difficult and it felt so good. I turned around at Grizzly and just that slight incline started making a difference and it got harder. I ran up to the pasture and ran/walked alternating from lightpost to lightpost. Then at the first lightpost after 5600 W., I sprinted to the next lightpost! Wow! That was tough! But I did it! I was trying for the fire hydrant, but couldn't quite get there. I was pleased with myself that I did that much! Then the rest of the way up 7000, I walked. It was a BEAST! UGH! I am going to work on trying to run it, but I think I need to work on distance more. So, we'll have to see. I'm thinking I did pretty good today.

W1D3

This is Week 1 Day 3 of our 16 week training. Our race (St. George Snow Canyon on Nov 7) will be right on W16D3, so we may not make it all the way through the training but hopefully it will be ok.

Monday I ran and it was OK. I did better than I thought I would, but I struggled and did a bit more running than walking. Wednesday, I was about to give it up. It was a HARD day and the mental pressure it was giving me was too much. Then I thought about my friend who said "I have no doubt you can do this!" and all of you that are supporting me and encouraging me, and I realized that I can't let anyone down. So at that moment I was doing it to not dissappoint (one of my personality traits...) and do it. But as the day went on, I started looking forward to it and it turned out to be a great run. Very little walking and running the whole way. I was so proud of myself! I'm looking forward to today's run. I think it's going to be really great, hopefully no walking.

I've realized that these blogs and letting other in on our goals is what is going to keep us going sometimes. I had to reach deep down inside me to find something to motivate me to keep going and had it not been for you, my friends, I'd have quit. So, thank you. I'm hoping I'll thank you much more along the way, and of course on the afternoon of Nov. 7th!

"Oh no you DIH-ENT!" (finger waving in an "S" shape with hand on hip)

Scott came home a few weeks ago and I'm on the couch with my foot propped up on pillows, wrapped in ice and said that he promised some friends that we would run the HALF MARATHON in St. George in November! OH NO YOU DIH-ENT! (didn't) I can't believe it. At the moment, I had many emotions; FEAR ("oh my goodness, I barely made it through the 5K in May, how could I run 13 miles?!), ANGUISH ("I'm nursing a sprained foot right now and am I ever going to be able to run?"), ANXIETY ("a HALF MARATHON!?!? Are you KIDDING ME???")...among others. (A friend told us that from our house to the Oquirrh Mountain Temple and back is about 13 miles.) oh. my. GOODNESS!

I haven't ran since my mom was in the hospital, so as of today, it's been about a month. I feel like it won't be too bad to get back out there and run, but I know I am going to have to start slowly to get back to where I was when I stopped. After the shock wore off, I've started to entertain the idea a bit. I have resolved that I am going to do it, even if I have to run/walk! It is a HUGE undertaking for me, I'm really scared when I think of the actual race, but maybe that won't be so bad once I start training. Although, I have been really comfortable running in my neighborhood and to think of going outside that comfort zone is making me a bit nervous. I know that sounds weird, but I can't imagine running down 70th, down Grizzly way, down 90th south or Skye Drive, and toward the OM Temple...it just makes me nervous. (I think because it is such a long way from home!) I wonder if any of you have had these same emotions. If so, please let me know and what you've done to decrease/resolve the concern. And any other helpful tidbits you can give to this novice runner would be MUCH appreciated.

As I always say "You eat the elephant one bite at a time", so I'll be taking baby steps to get to the 13 miles. I love having to log my running details on this blog and your encouragement is priceless. Thanks all...and I'll keep you posted!

Catch up

Ok, I haven't blogged lately about my running because it's been really inconsistent and I hate it. Things got so busy I had no time to run. Then last week, my Mom went into the hospital and of course had even less time than the week before. She came home and we've had to get her set up with Physical Therapy and get her back into being at home and that has taken time, along with catching up with work from the previous week, so I had even LESS time than the two weeks before. BUT, I did get a run in on Monday, and was excited and looking forward to getting back in the groove, then Tuesday, something happened to my foot (dang flat feet!) and I can hardly walk. It's getting a little better today, I'm hoping to not have to limp much and maybe I can run tomorrow afternoon after the BYU 7-on-7 football passing tournament. (YEAH! Can I tell you how much I LOVE football! And I love the heat and sunshine, tomorrow will be 82 degrees, and I'll be in heaven!) So, hopefully tomorrow, I *WILL* get back in the routine again!

2 steps forward, 1 step back...

It feels like it anyway. It's been a hard few days. The weather has been horrible and I think it really effects (affects?) me. It's been five days since my last run and I was still mentally hung up on the fact that I mostly walked last week and couldn't go as far as I had. (I wasn't able to make the 5K on Saturday due to work.) I had been talking with a friend and I realized that I was having a block, that I couldn't get past the fact that I felt more successful on my runs when I would take my usual route (which included quite a few big hills - yeah me!) but when I tried a new route (0ne that would have been the route for Saturday's 5K and has not much incline) I just didn't do as well and really struggled. So, the five days in between were not only because of the weather but it was getting over the mental hump of feeling disappointed and unsure. Until last week, I felt good and thought I was doing well, having completed the 5K and always looking forward to running, to not wanting to run and being unsure of the outcome and my ability. I really felt that I had taken 2 steps forward and even 2 steps back somedays!

But the sun is shining, figuratively and literally. After talking with a great friend at work, she encouraged me (well, committed me) to just run the new route and be determined to do my best. I also spoke with my brother Ralph, (who always has good advice :-) ), who said to just run for time, don't think distance so much right now and do what you can. So, with that attitude I ran the new route yesterday, and I ran the whole 30 minutes (still doing the program, yesterday was W9D1, so only 2 more on the program, then it's up to me) and felt SOOO good! I didn't complete the 3 miles, - actually did 2.17 miles! (I know, I'm slow) - and walked the rest of the way to complete a 5K. I am so pleased that I was able to complete the run and to run the route without doubts and negative bogging me down. I really concentrated on my breathing (thanks Heather!), and it will take a while, but it gives me something to focus on and I think it made me a stronger. I'm excited and looking forward to running again on Thursday!

Still going...

After the Race for the Cure, I decided I'm going to pick up where I left off on the training, so I'm currently on W8D1. The last few runs since the 5K were really good, but today for some reason it was really awful. I don't know what it is, (stress maybe?) but I just didn't have much motivation or strength. I'm running a 5K on Saturday and at this rate, I hope I can run the whole thing. But if not, then ok. I'm bummed I had a day like today, I've been doing really good and feel like I made a few steps backwards. I'll run again on Wednesday and hope it's better.

I did it, I did it, I DID IT! :-)

What, you may ask? THE 5K race, of course! It was amazing! I was sooo nervous last night and today, getting ready, driving there, I was totally calm. It was nice that this wasn't a real serious race, and made for a fun atmosphere. I was told there were 18,000 people there, which is the most they've had (I'm guessing here in SLC). I had anticipated "seeing" a starting line, at least in my head I did, but because I was so far back in the crowd that I started running way before what I think was the starting line. None the less, I was amazed at how many people were there! I was about 10 minutes in to the run and I looked up the road, waaaaaay up the road and saw just a sea of people, white, pink and black everywhere. Then I looked behind me and saw the same, it was something indescribable. I made up a new playlist on my phone last night so I was excited that I'd have some really great music to keep me going. At first, the crowd was so thick and there were so many people, that those of us who were running, had to run on the sidewalk for about the first mile. Then, throughout the race, I would have to dodge and weave in and out of groups of people, sometimes speeding up or slowing down, it was interesting and I definitely had to pay attention and not "zone". At the 1 mile mark, I was surprised at how far 1 mile really was. I was still going strong and feeling good. Almost at the two mile mark, where we start around the top of the loop, it is a bit of a hill, I was able to see the 2nd mile mark and thought "wow, this is really farther than I thought", but NOT ONCE did I think, "I need to stop and walk"! (I didn't realize it until the end when I replayed my run to my family.) It was so awesome to cross that finish line (it was a little chaotic, too) but felt so great. Scott was standing on the side just after the finish line and I immediately found him and hugged him and cried a bit, I was so thrilled that I accomplished such a huge thing for me. And then I remembered these wonderful women survivors that I watched today, that have accomplished something even bigger and more meaningful. They were truely an inspriation and I was proud to be running for such an important cause. I'm excited and thrilled and can't wait to do another one! (May 22nd BABY!)

Last run before the big race...

W6D3 was a good run, but really windy. It was 2 10 minute runs with a walk in between. I'm feeling really good today and am excited (and a bit nervous about the unknown) for Saturday. No training until race day, let's pray for nice weather!

W5D3 Woot Woot!

I did it! I can't belive I DID IT! It was a straight 20 minute run with a 5 minute warm up and cool down. It was another one of those days where I was putting it off until the last minute and really, really was anxious about it. I chose a more flat route, though this time, anticipating it being a little more difficult. And it was, but I DID IT! I can't believe I went from sedentary (and I thought I was a "little" active, ha!) to running 20 minutes straight! Woot Woot!

Oh, and on another note, it's really, REALLY official! I received my T-Shirt and number for the race on Saturday! I'm number 2010 (being new at this, I'm not sure if that is everyone's number or if I just got a number that goes along with the year of my first race?!), and it's pretty neat. Ok, so now I'm a little unsettled about all the unknown (Should I drive and park or take Trax? Should I drive by myself or have someone go with me? What do I do when I get there? Do I wear my number on the front or back? Will I have time for a 5 minute warm up? How early should I plan to be there? What happens after I cross the finish line? Should I plan to stick around or leave afterward? So many unknowns.

Next week is Week 6! Let's hope we have really nice weather on Saturday. So far, it looks pretty good.

W5D2 update

Ok, today was a seriously UGLY day. The weather has been horrible! Windy, cold, rain/snow, who wants to go out in that, let alone RUN?! It was about 6:30 (and still a full night of "stuff" left to do) I didn't think I was going to run, and had really already resigned myself to not going. Scott got home and said plainly, "just go". So I did. And it was great. Today's interval training was different than Monday, so today I ran 2 8 minute intervals with a 5 minute walk in between. Friday (or Saturday, depending on the weather), will be a straight 20 minute run. I'm a little anxious about it and yet confident too. So, we shall see. Off to Women's Conference at BYU tomorrow and Friday, so LOTS of walking. I can't wait! (Hope it doesn't rain or snow, but of course, it's supposed to!)

I think I can, I think I can...

I was a little apprehensive about yesterday's run. It had been since Wednesday morning and I wasn't eating so well; Diet Coke, pizza, carne asada tacos, etc, and yesterday had been a super busy work day, so I didn't get a chance to go out to run until 8 pm. I was pleasantly surprised to find that it was a really good run and I'm beginning to see that I think I can run the whole race! I've realized too, that as much as I would love to run with my hubby, that even at his slowest pace, he still is too fast for me. Sorry honey! So, tomorrow is W5D1! It's getting closer! 2 weeks from yesterday is the race. I think I'm almost more concerned about getting downtown to the race (whether to take Trax or drive, and where to park?) than I am the race itself. Oh, and I'm excited to get my T-shirt, I think it will feel more "real" then. We are supposed to have storms Wed-maybe Saturday next week, and Thursday and Friday is Women's Conference at BYU, so I'm not sure when I will run and in what conditions, but I WILL RUN! Until next time!....

Day 2

Early morning run. It's interesting how you can change your routine and it changes your workout. I couldn't sleep this morning after everyone left and for some reason, all I could think about was that it is supposed to rain/storm today and I DON'T want to have to run in the storm, so I got up and went early. It was a beautiful morning, moderate temperature. We had a REALLY bad rain storm this afternoon, it's still raining and it got really cold, so I am glad I didn't have to run in it, or have an excuse not to run. I felt really good this morning, not like an afternoon/early evening run when I'm already tired. I think I might try to do that more often, now that the weather is getting warmer and the sun is coming up earlier. It wasn't as hard as Monday either. And mentally, to get ready for the day knowing I've already ran is so satisfying. I can't decide whether it is getting easier (relatively) for me or if it was just hard on Monday (I'm sure Scott's pace made it harder for me on Monday!), so I'm anxious to see what day 3 (Friday hopefully) will feel like. Anyway, it is getting easier. There were several times today that I again, thought about that 5K and am thinking I can run it. (There were other times today that I thought I need more training!...) Until next time....

W4D1...woohoo!

I can't believe that I'm already into 4 weeks of training, and the race is 2 weeks from Saturday! AHHH! Friday's run was good, uneventful. I was busy Friday night so didn't have time to post. Today was a new interval training, my longest run so far. The first was a 3 minute run. I felt good and was doing pretty well. Oh, and the hubby ran with me today, I was really worried that it was going to be like W1D1, but it was all good. The first interval set was a 3 minute run, then a short recovery walk, then a 5 minute run with a short recovery walk, then repeat. I did really well, although the last 5 minute run was really, really hard (uphill, too! UGH!). Music really DOES make for a good run! On the podcast, during the last 5 minute run, it's a really lame song, so I'd like to blame the song for it being hard! LOL! Last Friday was the first time I could really "see" myself running the whole race! Today put that into better perspective, but I really am thinking I can do this! I'm so excited! Wednesday is going to be a crazy day, so I may have to run on Thursday for day 2, and it's supposed to be really crummy weather. Oh well! Wouldn't be the first time!

W3D2

Today was a good run; light breeze and beautiful sunshine made it even better. I am a little sore, not like pulled muscles sore, like achy muscles sore, and only my quads. I have been stretching but for some reason the achiness is still there. I'm hoping it will pass. I was thinking today about how it is going to be for a 3.1 mile run. UGH...I'm still a little nervous that I won't be able to run it all. I came home and checked out the workouts for weeks 4-6 and they are pretty gnarly, especially day 3, so maybe that's what it will take. One day of rest and then back at it. I LOVE this program!

Rain, wind and hills...oh my!

I survived day 1 of week 3! After I read what was the training this week, I REALLY started to dread it and to doubt myself. There are 2 3-minute runs in this interval today and I was really worried. I planned as best I could to make it so that the runs would be mostly downhill, which they were. It started raining just as started stretching. Again, I could have made an excuse and given up, but I didn't. The wind was blowing really hard today, it will be nice when it is mild. I thought the 3 minute runs would be harder than they were, but it wasn't too bad. Music sure makes a difference, too, doesn't it? Well, gotta go. Hubby made dinner and is waiting...(he also started laundry...! Yeah!)

Week 2 - CHECK!

Today was W2D3. It was a bit rough starting out. I was going to go this morning, but we went to dinner at Pat's BBQ and after a meal like that, I thought I should stretch it out as far into the day as possible. LOL! I went out about 5:00, already tired for the day and a bit sluggish. My left quad was aching and I just wasn't real enthusiastic about it yet. It would have been really easy to make an excuse and skip it, and I did think about it, but only for a split second. It was windy, so of course, going up the hills today was hard. I ran the same route as Wednesday - I like it - I like where it put me on the intervals coinciding with where I was on hills/flat area. The best part was the last 90 second run, knowing that I only had a 5 minute walk/cool down left, and hearing Mary J. Blige singing "Just Fine", ..."I won't change my life, my life's just fine." AWESOME! Oh, and it's officially official - I registered for the 5K on May 8th. Bring on Week 3 on Monday! :-)

OK, here goes...

Not very long ago I was going to delete this blog and just stick with keeping up on my Facebook page. I don't think I'm a very good "writer" so FB is definitely more my style; quick and easy. Obviously, I didn't, and here I am and well, I'm feeling REALLY vulnerable and a little scared at putting this "out there" but...I have recently decided to start running. And I guess I could say -again - since several years ago, I was actually running up to 2-3 miles. But now, a few years later, older and definitely more out of shape, I've decided to try again. People say muscle has memory, so if that is true, I'm hoping my body remembers that I used to be able to do this and it will be easier to do it again. When I stopped last time, I was almost to 3 miles, but that last mile was tough. I found that I really enjoyed it and would actually look forward to going out and listening to music and feeling my heart and blood pumping (and even sweating). There's something about that feeling. I've been inspired by some women recently who are running; Tammy, Lia, Deea, (you guys are awesome!) among others and one day I thought "I should do this". And not only, DO this, but I've decided to run a 5K, my very first one. (A very close family member has just beat breast cancer and is participating in the Susan G. Komen Race For The Cure here in Salt Lake, so how could I not go and show my support for her?) Like I said, I'm a little scared putting this out there, I've been told that once I do, then it's harder to fall short, because other people are following me, so I have some accountability. Not that I intend to fall short, but I'm hard enough on myself when I don't complete something I've set out to do, or even when I don't follow through with something. (Wow, life is so overwhelming now as it is, am I sure I want *one more thing* to add to my never ending stresses?) My biggest concern is will I be ready to run the 5K. The race falls on Week 7 Day 1 of my training, so I won't have completed the program and will have to run it at whatever stage I am in. My biggest worry is that I won't be able to run it. I know I can walk it, and that's a good option, but I really, really want to run it. That is my goal and I hope I'm ready. So, a friend suggested that keeping this blog will be a good thing to keep me motivated on the hard days and may inspire others, kind of like in "Julie & Julia", how she kept a daily blog of her progress (journaling?). At first, I thought that it would be crazy to blog about my running, who REALLY wants to know? But another friend today said the same thing, so somewhat reluctantly, here I am. It will definitely be honest and simple. For those of you who are interested, here goes...

My good friend Melinda was just certified in San Diego as a Zumba Instructor and got me totally excited about Zumba, (since I LOVE to dance, this was a perfect exercize plan for me) and I couldn't wait to go. Problem was, time. The scheduled classes at the fitness center were at the worst possible times for me. Bummer. But..it lit the flame that started the fire. I decided I needed to do something, so, when I stumbled upon this running plan, I thought "I can do 30 minutes, and when it's convenient for me, that's perfect!" And so it began. My plan is a 9 week plan; 3 work outs per week for approx. 30 minutes. Each week the workout has differing intervals of running and recovery walks with a warm up and cool down. Week 1 day 1 (W1D1) was very inspiring but SOOOO hard! It was a Saturday and I asked Scott to go with me. I loved having the company but having Mr. competitive- former personal trainer back in the day-push me 'til it hurts guy - with me, in hind sight wasn't the best decision for day one, but I survived it. We live in a neighborhood that is on a hill and surrounded by hills. In fact, I think the only real flat area is the elementary school up the street, so not only am I trying to run this program, but doing it on hills is even tougher. On the good days, I take that as a challenge. On the hard days, I dread them. I thought I left my lungs and legs somewhere along the route, BUT when it was the 5 minute cool down walk, it was such a high! I did it! I hurt, but day 1 was down! W1D2 was a bit easier, I was alone and could run at my own pace. It was still tough, but easier than day 1. Again, I felt great and was so excited that I was already 2 days into it. I don't remember much about day 3, it must have been ok. Week 2 Day 1 was the day after Easter. UGH! We were anticipating a huge storm, so I needed to get my run in before it rained/snowed and got too cold. I enjoyed some yummy foods on Easter (chocolate and Diet Coke, yum!) but it definitely caught up with me. Adding to that, the storm was coming and it was unbelieveably windy. I decided that in order to get through this one, there was no way I could run the hills AND against the wind, so I opted to run around the school. By the time I got to the school, my shins and my ankles were hurting, so the run was rough and painful and at times, I didn't think I would complete it. I made it through and hobbled home afterward and nursed my legs and ankles the rest of the day. Scott said I was walking like an old lady and I sure felt like one! I learned a lesson through that, I need to be aware of what I take into my body, especially before a run. I've never experienced that before, so it was a good wake up call. Our storm passed and I should have ran yesterday. Most people would say that they run to relieve stress and maybe I'll get to that point, but yesterday was a super stressful day, and the last thing I wanted to do was run AND with only a small window of time in which to do it. That alone was causing me MORE stress! So, I blew off the run and committed to doing it today. The ugly storm passed and today was beautiful! All day I was actually looking forward to running! (I KNOW! I can't believe I really felt that way!) I finally got out about 6 pm and it was GREAT! It was a beautiful night and the run was great. As I ran, I wasn't thinking as much about which interval it was and how many more I had left, I was just enjoying the music and the surroundings. That is a huge improvement for me and I was thrilled that I have reached that point so soon. It was fun to be out around my neighborhood again and several times I really thought "I can do this and I WILL be ready!" One part of the run made me especially grateful that I went. Toward the end, I passed a cute little blonde boy, about 4 or 5 years old, riding his bike on the sidewalk. As I looked at the end of the street, I saw the Ice Cream Man turn the corner, without music, realizing that this little guy hadn't seen him yet. Within seconds the music started and I saw the boy, simultaneously, throw his bike down, leap about 2 feet from where his bike landed, in a dead run toward the ice cream truck. I laughed so hard I could hardly keep running! It was so adorable, and as I watched this cute little guy, it touched my heart. It reminded me of years ago, another cute little blonde boy named Kai, that I'm sure played out that exact same scenario, the bike dropping and the dead run toward the Ice Cream Man, because the boy NEVER missed the Ice Cream Man. As I ran by, it brought to mind the years that have gone by and how my little guy has grown into a young man, and made me grateful for that memory and that I was out to see it. Oh, and I am hardly sore at all! I loved my run today. I realized that when the weather is nice, I enjoy the runs so much more. So, bring it on!

Whew...so, now that that is all said, and it's "out there", I'm committed, I'm in, I'm ready and I'm going to keep posting my progress. So there... it's still kind of scary (AAACK...I feel so vulnerable...why??), but it feels kind of good to share it. Thanks Heather for the idea and your inspiration and Jerri for your support and encouragement...this will be an interesting adventure!

Time flies...

Cole's Eagle Scout Court of Honor was in October and a friend of ours made this video presentation of him for his CoH. I had forgotten how much I enjoyed it and watched it again today and I can't believe how quickly he's grown up! Thought I'd share...