Day Unknown (Sometime during week 4) Jan. 26th

Yes, I ran today. I've also been walking on my days off. However, I have NOT been blogging much. Sorry about that but somethings gotta give. I'll make it up to you, I promise.

My musings will probably ramble a bit since I've got 4 sessions of running workouts to catch up on. See what you get when you procrastinate? A long winded blogger and a bored bunch of readers. I'll try to keep it short...in the event that becomes impossible, feel free to surf the web instead. That's what I do.

Anyway, the last few workouts have been good. My stamina is improving, I'm up to about 9 minutes of continuous running with just a few minutes to rest in between. I'm not really supposed to be doing this much in week 4 of the program, but I'm trying to push myself a little bit harder so I can work on my speed before the race. It would be embarrassing to be beaten by a 12 year old, a 92 year old, or a new mommy pushing a stroller. Not that I haven't been beaten badly before...it happens. I'm just trying to avoid it this time. Call me selfish.

Which reminds me, today my friends Cindy and Tennille talked me into signing up for the Susan G. Komen Race for a Cure on April 25th in Lansing. They are both running it so I agreed. I'm an idiot. There, I said it.

But hey, a goal of some kind never hurts. Especially for "Goal-Challenged" people like me.

Any-whooo...I've found these last few runs to be quite exciting. Not because they're fun--PLEASE...but rather because I see what is happening to my heart and lungs. They work, and work pretty efficiently. Who knew?

It's cool to see what your body can be trained to do. It's neat to feel yourself becoming stronger and hear your mind begin to tell you things you haven't heard in a long time. NO not, "hey those nachos have your name on 'em", but thing like, "you can do it" "will you look at that, 9 minutes", and "if rein in your breathing, you can go another minute". It's been interesting (to say the least) as my big, fat head has been used for something more than a hat rack. I repeat, who knew?

I've come to appreciate and trust the program. It's certainly not easy. It's not really fun either. But fun and ease are highly overrated. I've tried that road and I've yet to reach an eternal Disneyland. So I guess I'll try the hard work and self-denial road. At the very least, I know I'll end up with a heart that can pump some serious amounts of highly oxygenated blood and a brain that sends me love notes. Even if it costs me some Reese's cups and sweat, that's a pretty good deal.

Trusting the program, taking the path less traveled, appreciation, and hard work...I think God knew what would make us truly happy. He's a pretty smart Guy and worthy of every drop of sweat. His love is awesome. What else could make a person back away from the Reese's?

Until next time...keep breathing!