The Mount Everest of 10Ks

This morning Chase and I ran the Green Valley Association 9th Annual 10K Run and 5K. This is the first time he has ever run a race with me, so it was great to have him with me! He ran the 5k and I ran the 10k. All I have to say about this race is HOLY HILLS!

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Seriously, I ran up and down at least 15 hills. That is a LOT for a 6.2 mile run. To be honest, it was DREADFUL.


I went from this:

To this in a mere 51:27 minutes:

I think the fact that the course was INSANE coupled with my complete and utter dehydration (I was super unintelligent and did not drink more than a cup of water this morning as we were rushing out the door to get to the race). 


However, as I was bemoaning every stride, I think a part of me fell back in love with running. The course, while hellacious, was also amazingly beautiful. And as I was panting in misery, it made me keenly aware of how blessed I am to have a body that is capable of running. Running is a gift, and I do not want to take it for granted. By the same token, our bodies are also gifts and we need to take care of them and not run them ragged. In the past I have been awful at listening to what my body needs and just forcing it to perform. I think it is time to progress past this frame of mind, and instead choose to savor each run, but also enjoy rest when need be. 


Now, I am going to let my body rest. And join my running buddy in some serious re-hydration!

Are you good at listening to your body or do you tend to ignore the signs it tries to send you? How can you be more kind to your body?

Have YOU ever been hit by a car?

I have a slight obsession with celebrity gossip. I find it fascinating. This morning when I was checking up on the Hollywood buzz at People.com I found out that one of my fave celebrities was HIT BY A CAR ON A RUN:

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Yesterday, Reese Witherspoon got hit by an 84-year-old woman while out on a jog. HOLY SMOKES. One of my deepest fears is accidentally running someone over, but can you imagine running over a CELEBRITY?!

Reese was not injured--phew! But can you imagine how scary that would be? 

So it got me thinking, have you ever had a bizarre/scary experience while working out or running? 

I had a bird poop on me mid-run. It was incredibly unpleasant to have to run 3 miles back home with it still on me. Eeek! I am sure I looked a fright.


On a completely tangential note, do you like Reese Witherspoon? Do you have a favorite Reese movie? 

I like her, and I think she has a super cute sense of style. I want her closet. I also like that almost every picture I see of her she is running or playing with her kids. My favorite Reese movie would have to be "Sweet Home Alabama." That Josh Lucas is so dashing!

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The Runner

It occurred to me that this little blog has definitely detailed the “Paleo” nature of my life. It has also told you quite a bit about the “Girl.” The one vital part of my life, and the blog’s name, that has escaped attention is the “Runner.” 

It dawned on me that I rarely ever mention any details regarding my running. The reason for this being that my morning run’s have become as second-nature to me as brushing my teeth. Lately my runs have consisted of about 7 miles. I typically run 6-7 times a week. This is actually  a significant decrease in mileage. Last year at this time I was running around 60-70 miles/week. I was a machine. I was flirting with the idea of doing another marathon and feeling incredibly passionate about my daily runs. However, I was also desperately miserable in a PhD program and I think I turned to running to quite literally run away from my life. 

This year, with a slight alteration in my “life plan,” I have gained some much needed peace and contentment. However, I am not quite sure what has happened in my relationship to running. My attitude towards it has altered so gradually that I did not even register the change until last week. With great sadness, I realized that I have become distanced from this close friend and I desperately want to re-kindle the flame. 

For twelve years I have been able to find myself in running. It has been a sacred time for me. Running has been the constant in the past decade of monumental alterations: It helped me find my place in high school on the Cross Country team. It served as a crucial point of commonality between my freshman roommate and me. It acted as an important time of self-reflection as I transitioned from independent college student to a newly-married Master’s student. Most importantly, it kept me sane during my first year as a doctoral student. As overly-dramatic as it sounds, running was my reason to get up in the morning for an entire year. I do not know what I would have done without it. 

So it is time to renew my passion. I have registered for a 10K next weekend, which I hope will be a thrilling re-entrance into passionate running. With the early whisperings of autumn in the air, I think now is a perfect time to fall back in love with running.

Is there a hobby or an activity that you wish to renew? Do you have any tips on how to re-discover a past love?

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