Out the Door: Monday Running

So begins the week of twelve's.  Been a while but since my triumph of the 5k in March, I've been running, running, and you guessed it, running.  I completed another 5K in May, The Field of Heroes, where you got to run through a field of flags while veterans cheered you on.  There are pictures, which I'll put up eventually.  It was pretty epic, though, and has me craving another race.  But now I'm onto building distance.  So every three weeks we add a mile and this ominous week is the week of 12's.

 

 

And what better place to accomplish those miles than the Edward Thomas Trail in one of Columbus's illustrious Metro Parks.  I love this trail.  And when I say love, I do not speak lightly.  I've sweat, peed, tripped, and logged lots of miles on this trail.  It has turkeys, deer, chipmunk, owl, even the odd walker or two along its wooded pathways.  It's listened to me sing loudly and yell freely at Heidi for going too fast.  It knows me and better yet, it knows my feet.

 I honestly think this is my one mile of perfect country. 

Today my perfect country was a heat storm.  All three miles were rough.  Usually, just the first mile gives me grief, aches and pains that disappear the more my tennies hit dirt but today was a bitch.  I had to use my mantras to keep me going.  You're stronger than you think you are.  Run the mile you're in.  Not all pain is important.  That last one was a little hard to swallow today.  My thighs still ache.  But I did it.  I got out the door and ran.  Which, yeah okay, doesn't sound super impossible but I did work 8 hours before running because I'm just that good.  Okay, I work with cute pets so the 8 hours was pretty fun but still, kudos to me. 

So, yeah, that's my Monday.  Work, run, write, repeat.  Sounds like bliss to me.  Hope you're having just as auspicious a day.