Running Through J-E-L-L-O

OK, I didn't mean that literally. But tonight's run kind of felt like it. :)

It has been a few days since we exercised together thanks to Thanksgiving traveling, etc. and since I'm tied up with school prep from Wednesday night on, I figured a swim for tonight and a bike tomorrow would be a good start to the week. "How about we do our long run tonight, swim tomorrow, and do an early bike ride on Wednesday morning?" Kate asked me via email. So driven. How could I possibly say no?

So tonight we ran, another 4 mile run, with Kate's dog in tow. I was mildly concerned about "the knee" that tends to irritate me post-run, but I put it out of my mind for then. Almost immediately we passed by a father and son hanging up holiday lights. They commented on our run and sent us on our way with well wishes. And did we need them. The dog did great this time, as last time she had a tendency run right in front of me and stop, as if to trip me. Not on purpose, I'm sure. Or am I? :) And us, well, we did OK. We hung in there anyway, but the run felt like running through Jello. Not as thick as solid Jello, but maybe more like partially gelled Jello. What I'm saying is that it wasn't easy like some have been. Perhaps due to the unseasonably warm weather, which was glorious during the day but at night during a run was, well, Jello-esque. Still, we plugged on.

On the way back we passed the same father-son team still working on their lights. "That's a long run" one of them yelled out. "Either that or you are slow at putting up your lights!" I joked back. They asked how long we ran for and Kate told them 4 miles and the son asked, "Do you guys do this every day?" and despite the exhaustion we both found full strength to belt out the words "God NO!"

It felt nice to have random encouragement like that...it's almost a taste to race time when there will be people everywhere cheering us on. I always feel a sense of admiration when I see someone running, exercising, working hard and sweating while I'm cruising by in a car or just hanging out on the beach. So it's nice to have someone else's acknowledgement of all of our hard work already. And it DOES make the run go by faster and easier. We've only had this once before. It was a rainy week towards the beginning of our training, and we decided to "hoof it" (as Kate has called it) despite the drizzle. We threw on baseball caps and running shoes and off we went. As our feet pounded the pavement, we passed a man walking out of his house. "You've got to be kidding me!" he exclaimed of our run. It still makes me smile to think of that...

Sigh. So I'm done. We made it, stretched, and is well. Even now, 20 minutes post-run, as I sit here covered in dry sweat, drinking my 6th cup of Gatorade, typing at the computer, the knee is STILL feeling groovy. No issues. Knock on wood.

So that's that. What awaits is the great wide open...School! Three weeks to try to squeeze exercise in despite a crammed, exhausting schedule. It all seems so easy in my mind but I know it will be difficult. Yoga these days has been taking me a solid hour and a half. Exercising after school is pretty challenging, so that leaves me, well, waking up at 5? 4:30? Ooooooo, it's going to be interesting! I still have to figure out places in Gainesville to ride my bike safely and running that doesn't involve hills...ugh...hills!

I have to figure that all of this will be much easier now that I have a blog for the world to see and the added pressure of the fundraising for AWB on my side. :) Which reminds me...things are going great on that front. I have designed some fliers and am waiting for final approval on them. I can't wait to bring some to school, put some up around town, etc. I already got one of my teachers, an acupuncturist in Jacksonville, to agree to put signs up in his office. YAY!

Man, I'm pooped. Was up at 5:30 a.m. for a hard yoga workout, a long day at work capped off by a long run. I think Monday night football and sleep are calling my name...