Life Changes

I completed my first run in over a year tonight. It was just over a mile (1.06, to be exact), and it wasn't the fastest run. Or even close to my fastest mile. But it was still a mile run, with very little walking (just up one big hill). My legs felt super heavy and I really had to work on my breathing, but it has to get easier from here. The hardest part is getting back out there!

This is all a part of changes I want to make in my life. Having two kids 17.5 months apart was not easy on my body (or nice to it!). I've actually been either pregnant or nursing for almost three years!! Now I need to do something about it. I started doing my power core yoga a couple weeks ago and just need to make it a regular thing. Add in the running, eating healthier, and cutting back on pop and I'll have a good thing going. I need help... and motivation... and encouragement. I can do this!

Invigorating...

That's what my run was tonight. After a very long, highly-stressed day, it was just what I needed. My day was full of gloominess -- thanks to a day without sunshine, a 3-year old who didn't want to cooperate in any sense, a 10-month old who didn't want to nap, a husband who was sick, and errands that seemed they would never get done! Even my yoga this morning couldn't calm me... All day I just kept wishing it would clear up just so I could get my Wednesday run in. By late afternoon I was already planning on just going to the gym and getting on the treadmill, but I didn't really want to do that. But as I was cleaning up dinner, I noticed it wasn't raining anymore. The clouds were moving on. You could see the sun setting! God smiled on me! I gave the kids baths and put them to bed, then hurried to the back door to check the outside temp and make sure it was still clear. I got dressed for the chilly 39 degrees outside and took off...

The street was drier than I figured it would be. The moonlight was bright, the sky clear, and so many stars in the sky. I've really gotten to love running in the chilly darkness -- I feel free, away from it all, like I could run forever. It was exactly what I needed. Empowering, invigorating, blissful...

I did a full 5K and kept my pace about what I've been running -- ran it in 34:37, with an average mile time of 11:06 (first mile 10:53, second 11:38, third 10:39). Now I'll work on improving that time over the next 2.5 weeks, when I'll be timed in an official 5K race. My goal is to run it in 30-32 minutes. We'll see... :)

[Note: You can see my last five runs (uploaded to Nike+ thanks to its plugin and my iPod Nano) on the left side of this blog.]