My first full week back!

It is my first full week of running since trying to get back out at least three days a week and it has been very successful!! I prefer heading out in the mornings, but I work on Mondays, so I packed up a change of clothes and headed straight over to the woods right after work.  If I go home first, I'll never get back out again, the dogs will be all stressed out from my coming and going, and I run the risk of sitting down!  Once I sit....good luck! HAH!

Monday evening I did intervals, alternating walking and running with quarter mile increment runs, Wednesday I tried bumping up the run distance to a half mile each time, and then today my goal was to try to complete at least one full mile running without stopping.

My shins were sore from walking so much and trying to go faster this week, and my hips were aching terribly from running with the added weight, so I pulled out the heavy artillery today, my Mizuno Wave Prophecies!  These are some strong supportive (and heavier) shoes with a very nice spring to them.

I was not only able to run a complete mile today, but after my walk interval, I felt like trying again, thinking I would go only a half mile this time, but instead going another full mile!!  I was extremely pleased and proud for pushing myself because it is so much more difficult with the excess pounds than anyone who has never had this problem can imagine.

Running Break!
Enjoying the gorgeous day and peacefulness of the park.

It has been so much harder with the weight back on, but I have been making better food choices and find I am actually wanting to do so, and have been only craving pretty much good foods. I've been having fun creating light and refreshing vegan recipes and even more fun being able to pack them up for work lunches and have delicious homemade meals at work!

Tofu 'eggless' salad, (I got ingredient ideas on line and then threw
together my choice of  ingredients and measurements to taste),
petite carrots, blueberries, almond milk (unsweetened original)
DELICIOUS!

Yes, it's true, I AM a tree hugger!

It has been two weeks since saying goodbye to my dear sweet Moe-Mie and I had sworn, no more dogs! I was going to take the time to heal and to spoil my Tabs rotten. However, life had other things in store for me.

Tabbi very dispondent

Tehn snuggling in close to comfort Tabbi

Tabbi got very sick the day we lost Moe, she moped around, pouted.  I took her out to the woods for a walk, but she just wasn't that into it, until we came upon children or other dogs. Then she would REALLY perk up!! I told her absolutely in no uncertain terms would I 'get' her a child, but I would consider getting her a dog

We went home and since I was going in to our local pound the following day to volunteer, I thought I'd just go ahead and search the adoptable dogs on line and see if they had any smaller dogs. Long story short, they did, and Tabbi got a little playmate. 

Tabbi and her new playmate, Vallie

Heading to the clinic across town to get our new pup's neutering done, I felt my anxiety growing and my chest tightening. We had to drive through downtown to get there and I am NOT an urban girl at all. I dropped him off and was told to come back and pick him up that evening around 5:30. Heading home and cutting through town I felt tense, anxious, tight chested and as I got closer to home it would all ease up. The same thing happened again when I went to pick him up and on the drive home.

My little 'conehead'

During Moe's declining health this past year, I chose to put a lot of things on hold as his illness progressed. I haven't been getting out to the woods for my trail runs regularly and I always seemed more tense. I decided that today was going to be the day I started back with my regular trips to the woods at least three times a week.

I had been eating well the last couple of days as well and to make up for that last night I had more than a small amount of my favorite Friday night combo, Pizza and Beer! Needless to say, after having indulged myself last night, I felt a little less than 100 per cent when I woke up, but after eating a nice big bowl of oats, bananas, and blueberries and drinking plenty of fluids, I was ready to go. All laced up and donning one of my comfortable running skirts, I headed out. It was the most perfect day!

Today's goal, six miles for my half marathon training. I'm not sure which week we are on, but I know the distance. I planned a day of walking, with intermittent bursts of speed. Once I started and gauged how I felt, I decided it would be one mile walks with quarter mile running sprints. I was very pleased with my speed on the sprints and felt pretty strong through the full six miles.

I had been on the roads for many of the miles, so heading into my last sprint, I decided I would start working back toward the trails...not quite in time though. Have you ever been on the back of a motorcycle when the driver is NOT wearing a helmet or any type of eye covering? If not, let me tell you, you get blasted repeatedly in the face by their tears from their watering eyes. Well, here I was heading up a hill on the side of the road when a cyclist goes flying past me at speeds of twenty to thirty miles per hour...*SPLAT*! Yep, he got me. Thank you for being so kind as to share your sweat with me, but I am able to produce buckets of the much needed coolant perfectly fine by myself. Thank you very much!

Laughing to myself, I headed off into the woods after the last sprint and started really feeling myself calm and unwind. I went into a total Zen mode and was loving every minute of it. The trees and cool trails were having an amazing calming effect on me. The knot in my stomach which seemed to always be there lately was dissipating, my head felt clear, I had a wonderful sense of accomplishment and my body felt strong. Oh YEAH!! I remember this!! Why had I forgotten how therapeutic this was for me? Not exactly forgotten, but pushed aside briefly.

I decided to take the cell out and get some photos on the last mile back and was amazed at the sense of well being I was having. I wanted to be able to capture this whole day to share with everyone, the breeze, the clear sky, the spots off to the east with puffy white clouds, the perfect temperature, the clear water, shining sun, birds singing, cicadas chirping, the green green trees, the wonderful calm....all this and so much more. How could I share it with everyone?

Heading home I stopped off at one of my favorite places to watch the sunset and sat down on the bank of the small pond and watched the boats and water and tree line on the big lake. It was so restful.

One of the little ducks had snagged himself a treasure! A great big old crawdad! He was swimming around trying to keep it away from the other ducks but not looking quite sure what he was supposed to do with it now! Hah!

After capturing some more 'zen' moments, I got in the car to head home and was forced to pull over on the side of the road to get more photos.

I am planning to move into a house about this time next year and have decided I have to be closer to the woods. I have chosen my favorite neighborhood that is within walking distance to the park. That's right, I can roll out of bed and run into my back yard and hug my very own tree, enjoy my bliss, suck up some 'zen' and feel my blood pressure go down all at the same time!

Have YOU hugged a tree lately? ;)