Hot weather? What?

What just happened? It's been so nice, and today the high is in the mid 80s. I'm going to Kings Mountain, and the high right now is 90*. And it keeps going up.

I've decided that my ideal temperature is in the 70s for hanging out, and 50-60 for running. I can't take it too hot or too cold. It's ridiculous. This is April. We've had snow this month, and now this?? I want it to make up its mind. I want to wake up and be able to pick out clothes based on norms, not on anomalies. I don't like it.




(Mainly, I'm not used to running in hot weather anymore, and it's frustrating me. I need to work on that!)

Test

Just testing my new signature! :)

Boston

I've been watching the Boston Marathon all morning. I can't even begin to explain the emotion I have, the way it feels to watch the world's elites run so hard, so fast. The women started 28 minutes before the men. As the gun sounded, I found that tears were welling up in my eyes. Even just watching the start, hearing the crowds, seeing the focus, brought so much to me.

I want to run a marathon. I know that I'll never be fast enough to run Boston (well, maybe?). And yet, I think I could kick out 26.2 miles. Obviously not tomorrow, and probably not this year. But it's doable. And there's no reason for me NOT to do it. It's time to push. It's time to man up and try. It's time to quit living a life where I just do what is comfortable.

And yes, I know it's weird that I gained this insight from watching people run on my computer screen. But there's something about seeing people cry for finishing third, about seeing people give so much that they collapse at the finish, that's inspiring. It's about ambition, drive. It's about me growing as a person.

For me to grow, I need to run. And I need to run long, and hard. The end.

Ouch!

I've been battling shin splints. Some days they hurt worse than others. Yesterday was one of the bad days. Sean being the sweetheart that he is did find me some ibuprofen to take since I couldn't sleep. Doesn't it just figure that I would start having issues when I'm finally starting to feel stronger?

In all seriousness, I know I just need to stretch more. It's just so hard to motivate myself to. I have to take care of myself. I have to. There's no excuse not to. I don't need to damage myself because I'm stubborn.

Randomness

I had a most excellent run tonight, even though I got rained on. For the first time since I've started back running outside, I went for a straight 20 minutes, and got in two miles. I've been taking walk breaks to meet up with Sean. And it felt good! I needed a good run today. For the last several days, I've had a weird pain in my thigh. It was getting to the point that yesterday, Sean and I walked a mile and I ended it limping. Today though, it didn't bother me at all! And it was great! I felt like I could have kept going.

It's so nice to get back into my normal routine. I feel so much better when I get out and go for a nice run. Especially now that I'm outside. It's so nice to get out there and not think about anything. To be able to leave it all on the trail.


I've also been working on my photo editing. My screen is a bit dark, so I have trouble telling if I'm taking things too far in regards to brightening them. But here's an example. This is Sean's cousin Greyson. He was playing around with a Mr. Potato Head Santa beard. The first is the original, and the second is the edited version.
I've also started baking bread. Mom gave me some sour dough starter, and it's been turning out pretty well. Sean eats it with just about anything; tonight he used it for hamburgers. There's just something about the smell of homemade bread in the house. It can't be beat!

Guess whose getting a new cousin?

That would be me! Dee's pregnant...more details to come when we find out more. :)

I gotta start knitting!

Back in the swing of things

I'm getting back to running. After blowing off about 2.5 weeks or so, I'm back at it. And I'm doing it outside. Now that the weather is getting pretty, I'm refusing to step foot on the treadmill. I hate that thing.

Sean and I have gotten out and explored some, and found a 2 mile trail that connects two parks in town. It's paved, but it goes through the woods. Absolutely wonderful. I'm building my way up to the mileage I'm at on the treadmill, since it's so different being outside. But there's something peaceful about running next to a creek and being among the trees, just counting for breaths, and not thinking about a thing. I love the feeling of having an absolutely clear mind.

I've also started doing my yoga dvd. I love the fact that I can feel my muscles getting worked. I especially love that it focuses on the core and hips, since my right hip gets sore so easily. And I can feel it in my butt. I like to imagine that it will make it a little bigger. Probably not, but a girl can dream, right?

Anyway, I feel better about myself now that I'm out doing something again, and not just sitting around. It's good to find myself getting back my self-esteem. I'm not sure where it went for awhile, but it's out of hiding now. Thank goodness!