Sunday, April 30th
Yesterday was my rest day and I really needed it! These long weeks of exercising have me sore and limping around the house like an old lady by Friday night. There are definitely moments when I question my sanity, and these old bones ability to keep me going. But still I push on because I've seen so much change in three short months. Physically, my body looks and feels different. My legs are stronger and leaner, my arms are stronger and leaner, my heart rate is significantly better and my endurance has clearly increased. Unfortunately, I also hobble around after my runs due to hip tenderness, pain and stiffness. I plan on visiting a Physical Therapist to see if we can figure why I am getting these pains after my runs. I stretch like crazy and own the best running shoes I could find.

My biggest fear is that they will tell me I have to stop running! But I am confident that won't be the case. It's not debilitating, and it seems like a form of bursitis or tendonitis. There might be therapies for me that will work. Regardless, I'm pushing on until I'm told otherwise. Me and my best friend Ibuprofin!
Today was a big day for me. My long run of the week has now moved to 5 miles. I haven't run five miles in over 20 years...since my H.S. days when my evil Field Hockey coach made us run 5 miles wearing cleats (yes, shin splints hurt a bunch) and carrying a wooden field hockey stick, all the while yelling "JONES, YOU ARE TOO SLOW. GET MOVING!!!" Gee, I wonder why I always imagined myself to not be a runner. Hmmmm....let's all ponder that for a moment.

I did it for four years, always finished last and always got yelled at. Ahhhh...the good old days.
Anyway, back to this decade. It was empowering to finish a 5 mile run. My DH drove me to the drop off point. My mission was to run home from there...his job was to come out looking for me if I didn't return in 1 hr and 10 minutes. The good news is that I didn't need the search party.

But it turns out it was a much more difficult task than first imagined. I mapped the run on the online gps system. It looked both scenic and manageable. Well, it was definitely scenic.....but very challenging. Here is what the run looked like.....
Mile 1 - 3 up hill....all up hill.....no downhill. JUST UP HILL. And Scott....the VERY BFH gave me the finger the whole time

. Oh, and just to make it more fun, over half of it was on a dirt, rocky trail through the woods. And before you ask.....the answer is BECAUSE I'M INSANE, THAT'S WHY!
Mile 3-4 was level. THANK THE GOD'S OF PAVED STREETS AND FLAT ROAD SURFACE!
Mile 4-5 finally arrived back into my neighborhood. I still had one killer hill to ascend...but it was the last mile friends. And I couldn't wait to get home!!
So for those counting, that makes approximately 3.5 miles up hill.
Now just to make things more interesting, I brought along my hydration pack to carry my cell phone and fluid. I filled the bottle with gatorade. The gatorade gave me HORRIBLE stomach pains. I now despise gatorade and learned what NOT to bring with me on runs anymore.
The run wasn't fast....but I survived. And on some runs....that is what we are most thankful for!

I ran an 11:39 mpm. That's pretty good considering I walked more than typical, stopped due to stomach pains a few times and well, ran up hill most of it LOL! So I can't be too hard on myself.
If you've made it this far....THANKS!!! You guys are the best. Next week is another 5 miler. I'm not sure I'll do this route again....unless I do it in reverse!!!
