Strides of Faith: eleven

Awesome 11 miles this morning!!!

Even though I did the same distance as last weekend, it just felt really good today. I had great company (which makes a world of difference), it was beautiful out, we changed it up and went all the way the end of the north end at Shell Island, and we even "sprinted" to the finish. Amazing run!! :)

Here we are... 11-milers!

Noticeable this week is how much more I am able to talk comfortably during runs. Today, the two girls I ran with and I carried on a conversation until the very end (the home stretch is where I usually start to get quiet). Besides a slight discomfort in my knees (nothing painful or major), I felt really good endurance-wise and had controlled breathing the entire time.

Another update... my Lulu pants came in!!! :) Of course the delivery dude brought them to my door not 20 minutes after I walked in from my run today. :P But they're heeere, and I loooove them already. :)

lulu love

I'm extremely thankful for such a redeeming run this morning. Just keeping it real...

I was SO TICKED during one of my short runs this past week.

Ha! You will not hear me say that often... but it's so true. I was. It was my own problem; I had set my expectations way too high. I was totally expecting a beautiful day and a glorious run: 5 miles at the beach with sunny, 70-degree weather.

I guess that's what happens when you expect. You make an "ex"... out of your... spect...

Anyway. From the moment I stepped out of my car, I knew the conditions were NOT very glorious... The wind was ripping so hard, I felt like I was on an outdoor treadmill. The kind of run when you feel like you're doing twice as much work to get the same result. My hair was blowing all over the place, and I was also much tighter than usual: tight calves and tight arches in my feet made my legs feel heavy to pick up—the worst feeling. I realized I left my arm band at home, so I had to carry my iPhone in my hand for music (which actually turned into an opportunity for getting a couple drive-by photos—see below. Not the best pics or all of my favorite places, but I figure I wouldn't waste them.). Last but not least, it was extremely crowded at the Loop that day. I was weaving in and out of people all over the place, and NO ONE seemed to know that a sidewalk is like a two-lane road: you stay on the right, and the person running the opposite direction should be to their right. If two people are walking (or running) beside each other and taking up the whole sidewalk, why WOULDN'T you automatically think to move over or get behind the other person to allow for the two "lanes" when someone is coming your way? Maybe that's just how my mind works. This lack of etiquette (or should I say common courtesy) got on my nerves SO bad that day, and it seemed like EVERYone was an offender...

Good thing I SNAPPED OUT OF IT about halfway through when I realized how silly I was being. One forecasted expectation gone south had set the negativity ball in motion so quickly... how scary. Did I really expect there to be perfect conditions in every aspect every time I run? Did I think I deserve them? Did I think that the only way to get in a good workout was to have them?

Bad days are going to happen—it's a fact. So I can either allow them to dampen my day, or I can choose to focus on how much I do have to blessed with... and let gratitude turn what I have into more than enough.