June 01, 2014

Family

I woke up this morning after a really sound night's sleep, and felt panicked. I was sure it was Monday, so I jumped out of bed to get the kids ready for school. It wasn't until I got dressed that I realized that it was actually Sunday. Haha! At least I slept really well.

I ate breakfast with the kids, and then my parents came and picked them up for church. Considering my runs have been feeling really hard lately, without much reward at all, I was dreading running this morning. This is my last week before the Heartbreak Hill Half & Festival (if you're looking for last-minute discount codes, I have them), so I keep reminding myself I just need to get through this week, and then I can cut back to doing 3-4 milers, 4-5 times a week.

It was hot by the time I headed outside. I decided to run my five-mile neighborhood route in reverse, just for a change of scenery. Running the same old route in reverse is actually pretty interesting--it was like running a whole new route! (Although, I did forget that I should avoid a particular spot this time of year, because the birds dive-bomb my head--and sure enough, I actually felt the thing grab my hair, flapping its wings like crazy, while I ran). 

I think God knew I really needed a decent run today, because I was expecting the worst, but as soon as I started running, I felt calm. It didn't feel easy, but I wasn't struggling how I have been lately. My only goal was to make it through five miles, and try to feel good doing it.

And it was good! It wasn't without effort, but I actually felt happy to be out there and moving along. The last mile was SO hot, because the sun was killer, but I got in all five miles. And my pace wasn't too shabby, either. Today was one of those runs that left me feeling successful, which was definitely something I needed. 


I can't believe it's June already! Last month, I set a goal of not eating any sweets for the month of May... and that was a big fat failure ;)  I did well for a couple of weeks, and then I had ice cream on my long run day--not a huge deal. But after that, I kind of lost my drive. Not having a sweet treat to look forward to was really tough--that's why I run!--so it wasn't a good challenge for me. But I tried, and I actually lasted longer than I expected to. 

This month, I'm going to make it a goal to get in 12,000+ steps per day. Today, I did great! As I write this, at 5:30 pm, I've gotten in 19,500 steps. In the afternoon, my mom called and asked if I wanted to go for a walk with her. She wanted to go look at a piece of property that she heard was for sale (my older brother, Brian, wants to move to Michigan!! So exciting.). Since I still needed a couple of thousand steps, I agreed to go.

It was really hot! My mom walked to my street, where I met her on the corner, and then we walked a nearly two miles to the property. It turned out that it wasn't for sale after all. Bummer, because it's on my favorite running route, and it would be so fun to be able to run past my brother's house. He's getting married in September, and they want to buy a piece of property here to build a house.

Anyway, 95% of the walk was in the direct sun, and my fingers puffed up like sausages. I hate when that happens! My hands rarely swell when I run; but when I walk in the heat, it's not uncommon for them to get puffy. When I got home, I drank a quart of ice water, and then I was freezing. I was so cold that I took a hot shower for the second time today.

As I was typing this, I got a text from my sister. She's been driving for 24 years, but has never gotten in a car accident... until today. Some jerk was allegedly driving under the influence, and ran a red light, hitting the rear driver's side of her car. It pushed the her right off of the frame.


She's SO lucky that he didn't hit her door, because she would have been hurt really badly. She said she's okay, but her neck hurts, so she went to the emergency room to get checked out. How scary! I'm glad that she seems to be doing okay.

Tomorrow morning, I'm getting together with my little brother, Nathan, again for a run. We're heading out early, a little after 6:00, for five miles. It should be pretty cool outside (I hope), and I'm looking forward to it!

6 comments:

  1. AnonymousJune 02, 2014

    I just have to say how awesome it is that you have siblings to run with. It makes me smile every time I read about a race, or even just a training run, that you have done with them. I hope my kiddos are close enough when they are adults to do stuff like that together. Glad your sister was OK! ~Martha

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  2. The heat we've had over the past 2 weeks has lead me to believe that "milder" summer they said we were going to have is a lie. Sigh. I'm going to go through a LOT of sunscreen this season for sure! I'm glad your sister is okay. Jerk, I hope he's charged accordingly.

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  3. When I saw the picture of your sister's damage to her car, I thought the same thing you went on to say, "It's a good thing he didn't hit her further up, where she was seated." I had a friend who was killed by a drunk driver, 10 years ago now. Sat. morning at 2 a.m., my son and visiting nephew called home (as we had pre-arranged), they had gone to a concert downtown and needed a ride home, as they had gone bar hopping after the concert. I don't want anybody driving while intoxicated!

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  4. Glad to hear your sister is okay and good job with the runs even when you're not feeling motivated. I know that feeling and just getting out there is a huge victory!

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  5. so glad your sister is okay - good job on the 5 miles and the steps !! My goodness that is great !! I have yet to get to 10K - but I'm getting there ... slowly :)

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  6. So very glad your sister is okay. That is so scary. Enjoy your run with your brother.

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