Tammie - Safe travels and GL with your 5K...I still haven't signed up for mine yet...5 more days to get my butt in gear and just DO it already. I'm such a giant baby chicken.
Thank you for wishes! Come on just do it...I was very nervous about it but I picked a good one to get back in training with and forgot how much I loved the nervous energy and excitement...
About the "time of the month" issues...oddly, I seem to be opposite everyone. I run so much better. I think it's b/c during that week I tend to have severe lower back pain, and running helps me with that. I feel lighter on my feet. I do get headaches after running during that week though, so I'm not sure what that's all about.
Yay...at least someone has something good about that time...
On the training front...
This week I added in a 20 minute "yoga for runners" session that I found on
Youtube when I got home from my run, and my muscle soreness/stiffness is practically zero now.
I did three miles of run/walking on a new trail yesterday. It's wooded and lovely with a stream running around it. It passes under the interstate and around a golf course. I didn't get murdered by a stranger beneath the overpass, so I consider it a success (and you better believe I ran full out under there too...it was kind of creepy-ish. But I watch a lot of Investigation Discovery channel). I wasn't happy with my time, but I'm chalking that up to being in a new environment, and it being the warmest morning so far this year. Or maybe I'm just a slow turtle. That's very likely.
Sounds like a lovely place to run...I so understand about worrying about things happening to me while I run...a scary feeling.
Oh, and on the subject of cupcakes...One of our local bakeries that was featured on Cupcake Wars (we lost in the first round

) had a key lime on the menu this week. I had a good workout that day so I had one and it was DELIGHTFUL.