Death By Treadmill? Ain't Nobody Got Time For That!

June 4, 2013

Today started the final week for training for this weekend's 5k.  I didn't start yesterday like I intended to because I had my granddaughter.  Unfortunately, our van is broken down and with my husband having the other car for work I'm kind of stranded until we can buy a new vehicle.  Unfortunately, we can't do that until after closing on the new house in a couple of weeks.  So, being without a vehicle prevented me from taking my precious baby home and I had to rely on her father to come get her.  He came around 1:00 in the afternoon and while I was grateful for the extra time with her (I'm not going to be able to see her as much since we're moving almost four hours away, uber sadness) it didn't leave a lot of time for a run.  Especially when I had many other things to accomplish in the day...none of which got accomplished since I took a nap when she left and ended up sleeping WAY too long.  So here we are, cutting it close again with training.  That stinks.  I had really intended to be in better shape by the time this 5k came around but it is what it is and I'll get through it one way or another.

Really considered running outside today but since I've not run a full 5k distance I wanted to do that and I knew if I ran outside I wouldn't get that accomplished.  Outside has hills....treadmill doesn't.  So The Mill won out today.  On the up side, I got a new pair of shoes.  This 5k on Saturday is a Color Blaze and they recommended that you wear as much white as possible.  I don't have any white shoes and quite frankly this looked like a good opportunity to buy a new pair of shoes.  I am, after a woman, and any excuse to buy a pair of shoes is a good excuse, yeah?  Yeah.  So I searched for a pair of white running shoes.  Unfortunately, I couldn't find a pair of completely white shoes so I had to settle for as close as I could come.  My new shoes are Addidas Marathon 10W's.  YAY!!!!  LOVE that style!!!  They are a kind of grey with black stripes on the side.  They've got a cool animal type print on the bottom and the laces are turquoise.

NEW SHOES!!!!

Even though these aren't shoes for The Mill I wore them today anyway.  I wanted to see how they fit to see if I was satisfied with them.  Am I satisfied?  Oh, yes, I am.  LOVE me some Addidas; LOVE me some Marathon 10W's!  I am partial to my pink and black shoes but these will be good as a back up street pair.  Guess I need to invest in a pair of back up Mill pair.  A girl can NEVER have too many pairs of shoes!

So.....now that we've discussed fashion footwear for running, let's discuss running!  Today's run wasn't as bad as I thought it would be.  I was tired when I finished but at least I accomplished my goal.  Today my goal was to run a full 5k distance.  Up until today I haven't done that since I ran my last 5k in October I think it was.  I can tell you that I do believe this 5k is going to be hard.  I call it a 5k because it is a Color Blaze and it's not about racing or time or being fast; it's about having a butt load of fun and that's what I intend to do.  But, I do want to be able to run the full distance and not have to walk.  I'm not sure that's going to happen but there's still the rest of this week to train so we shall see what happens.

Okay, so I got on The Mill and the first thing that happens is my son decides that he wants to go outside and play in the hose with his sister and her friend.  I know I bought him some new swimming trunks but in the process of cleaning up the house we put them somewhere and I couldn't remember where.  So I had to stop my run and go on the hunt.  I didn't find them.  (Incidentally, they were in his drawer where I'd told him to put them when we were cleaning up.  Go figure!)  I gave him a pair of my running shorts and told him to wear unders underneath them and have fun.  He might just be mortified if he finds out I posted this on the web so let's just keep that between us runners, shall we?  No harm done....besides, the running shorts I gave him weren't girly; they didn't have any pink on them anywhere!  So there!  Got back on The Mill.  Started up again.  Next thing that happens is Micah, the curious kitty, starts eyeing The Mill and my busy feet.  Two weeks ago, Micah had a visit to the vet and got spayed.  She's been quite docile and less feisty, bitey since she's been back but she is still a kitten and she still likes to play.  Her eyeing The Mill made me very uncomfortable and since we've lost one cat recently (RIP, Nibbles, we love you!) I'm not ready to lose another anytime soon.  So I reluctantly but with good cause got off The Mill and carried Micah to the bedroom, giving her lots of kitty love in the form and pets on the head and of course kitty baby talk and shut her in my room for the duration of my run.

While reviewing the course of the 5k I noticed that I only saw one water station on the course of the map for Saturday's 5k.  Insert digression here:  I think that's just crazy.  The run is scheduled to start at 11:00.  Now I haven't checked the weather or anything but isn't that supposed to be the time of day when the weather tends to heat up?  Having only one water station seems a bit not terribly smart to me.  Just sayin'.  Back on topic now:  However, having noticed that there is only one water station on the run course I decided to start training myself to be prepared for that.  To begin to prepare for this situation I only stopped to take a drink at 1.5 miles today.  This made me a very unhappy camper.  I prefer to be better hydrated.  I think I will get one of those hand held water bottles.  The kind with the band that goes over your hand so you can grip it.  I think that will help me keep up my pace although I'm not completely hopeful.  It depends on whether there are any hills on the course.  Please no hills, thank you very much!  I will check out the course Friday, maybe even run it Friday evening.  We'll see.  So, as I was saying, I tried to start training myself to only have one water break in my running.  I didn't much like it.

Today I used the half mile mind trick.  I started out with my run and I know it takes me six minutes to run half a mile.  So, I did a six minute countdown to keep myself going.  Six minutes......five minutes.....four minutes......three minutes.......two minutes.....one minute.......then start over again.  It may not seem like it but it really works.  It's like housework.  If you break your chores down into manageable pieces you are more apt to get it finished.  If you try to tackle it in one fell swoop, you become overwhelmed and just give up.  At least I do.  I have to break things down, especially when I'm on The Mill.  I don't seem to have to do that on the street.  I think it's because I am moving, going toward a goal.  It's like you can see the progress as you are moving.  On The Mill I'm just running in place, looking at the sconces on the wall and while my sconces are lovely it is boring to look at them for 37+ minutes, feeling the pain and boredom of being cooped up in the corner of the living....which reminds me, where the devil am I going to put The Mill in my new house?  Holy cow!  There's no room for it!  It's going to have to go in the garage!  That's going to be hot in the summer!  Oh, I digressed....back to today's run.  The six minute mind trick worked really well today.  I was able to complete my run and actually felt pretty good.  On my running website I only gave my run a straight face instead of a full smiley though because I was tired when I was done.  I was also dripping with sweat, but then, that's how I like it.  It makes me feel like I've worked hard.  I must have because The Mill says I burned 502 calories.  GO ME!

Here's the details:  I ran 3.12 miles @ 5.0 MPH.  That's a pace of 12:00 although my running website says it's 12:10.  I'm going with The Mill, the website wasn't there; The Mill was, LOL!  It took 38 minutes to finish.

I'm quite content with today's run.  I know I can run a 5k distance and that was the goal for today.  It's always nice to accomplish one's goals.  Now that we've marked "Get a Run In" off our list of things to do today, let's move on to the next item on our list.....clean cat litter boxes.  GROSS!  Maybe we'll put that off until tomorrow.  It's getting late and I'm pretty hungry.  I've only had a handful of dark chocolate almonds today and those are NOT my favorite snack!  Who's for walking to the Chinese restaurant and having some honey chicken?

Remember there is still time to donate/sponsor me in the Susan G. Komen 5k Race for the Cure!  That run is scheduled for June 15th and you can donate up to the day before the race.  Please, help women who can't afford health care and donate to this worthy cause.  Here's the link, just copy and paste it into your browser:  http://www.komenstlouis.org/site/TR/Race/General?px=1542226&pg=personal&fr_id=1150

Happy Running!

KEA

And don't forget....

There's still time to donate to the Susan G. Komen!!!

Here's the link:

http://www.komenstlouis.org/site/TR/Race/General?px=1542226&pg=personal&fr_id=1150

All you have to do is copy and paste this into your browser thingy up top!

It's Fun to Run at the Y.M.C.A!!!!

May 28, 2013

We are in the process of buying a house and moving.  It's been somewhat of a slight nightmare because we are moving to another state so we had to go to the new state, look for a house, make a decision and put an offer in all in one weekend.  That was a few weeks ago.  Our offer was accepted and we are now in the process of buying the house.  It's tricky though because I'm still in the old state so when something is going on with the house I have to make arrangements to go be there.  It's been a rough few weeks.  But the end is in sight and we are happy about that.

I was at the new house for the home inspection and planned on staying a couple of days.  I'm still in training for the 5k's....they are coming up FAST and I needed to go run.  My husband said that where we were staying wasn't really a good place to run on the street and suggested I go to the YMCA.  Now, I don't know about any of you, faithfully readers, but I myself remember the YMCA in a very different way than what I experienced when I walked through the door at the local YMCA in the town we are going to live in.  If I could use one word to describe this YMCA, it would be PLUSH!  Holy cow!!!!  Times have certainly changed since the Village People wrote their song!!!!  The YMCA I remember was a concrete building with little or no decoration.  The YMCA I remember was a very institutional looking building with posters offering various anthems of advice or advertising one class or another, certainly not very pretty.  The YMCA I walked into Tuesday was a plush (yes, there's that word again), comfortable building.  There was a circular desk with two young ladies sitting at it.  They were dressed in khakis and YMCA oxford shirts.  Both were pleasant young girls who were nice and eager to help.  Off to the side of the service desk was a cozy little area with coffee pots and a sitting area.  How nice!  I don't recall THAT being in the YMCA I remember!  The facility was very clean and didn't smell funny....you know the smell I'm talking about - old gym shoes, mixed with chlorine, mixed with sweat, mixed with old building.  This building was nice.  Behind the service desk was the indoor pool.  It was the one used for swimming laps.  There was also a whirlpool in there and a wading pool as well.  To the side of that was the entrance to the outdoor pool.  It was bright and sunny and good times were being had by all out there!  It was all so clean, clean, clean and it looked new, new, new!!!  It was a very nice facility.

It only cost me $10 for the day and it was good for all day.  I wish I'd known that sooner; I would've brought my swim suit and sat by the pool some.  But I was a woman on a mission and not to be deterred.  I was already behind in my scheduled and had to put my run off until later in the day so I didn't get my run in until almost three o'clock.  That wasn't my intention when I started my day.  However, life and obligations intervened and I was forced to rearrange my schedule.  Oh well.  It worked out in the end.  Okay, so all I had to do was fill out my address and give them a copy of my driver's license and $10 and I could use the facilities for the whole day.  I think that was a pretty good deal if you're only going to be using the facilities once in a while.  I didn't price a membership so I can't comment on whether it's a good deal to join the Y or not.  I will go back and do that.  If it is a good deal I might be getting rid of the old 'Mill and running at the Y....or maybe not.  More on that in a minute.  So anyway, as I said, $10 gets you the use of the whole facility (don't know if that included the outdoor pool or not.  I should've asked).  So I paid my $10 and entered the exercise room.

The exercise room was a bit small but they offered personal trainers which I thought was kind of cool.  Don't know how much it was for a personal trainer but the girl at the desk told me they were offering a training class to help people prepare for a 5k at 6:00 on Wednesday.  I wish I could've attended that but I had to leave on Wednesday to come back home.  That would've only been $10 too!  How cool is that?  Anyway, so the workout room was a bit small.  They had about three rows of treadmills and I swear these things were HUGE!!!!  I was quite intimidated when I stepped onto the one I chose.  It had a huge computer screen and I just stared at it for a minute before I could started pushing buttons....did I say buttons?  Oh, the "buttons" were on the screen.  I went through a little tutorial that didn't help me much and to be honest, I was a little stumped on how to get the silly thing started!  See, there's something to be said for my old 'Mill at home!  So I finally pushed the "Quick Start" button and had to push the speed button several times to get it up to 5.0 MPH.  My 'Mill at home has a button that says "Start" and a button 5.0 MPH.  Actually it has buttons for 2.0 MPH, 3.0 MPH, 4.0 MPH 5.0 MPH and so on.  If you want anything in between, you have to push the up arrow.  Not to hard to figure out how to work MY 'Mill.  I was a bit stumped on how to work the technological thing of beauty at the Y!  After a few minutes of running I knew something wasn't right because the numbers on the screen weren't matching what I am used to at home.  I pushed the speed button up to 5.0 MPH but I KNOW I wasn't running at that speed.  It takes me 6 minutes to run .0 mile at 5.0 MPH....but six minutes I hadn't even run a half mile!  And I could tell I wasn't running as fast as I normally run.  I felt like I was powering the treadmill and it was requiring me to make it go.  It felt like hard work and I didn't like the feel of the treadmill.

Oh, here's a little bit of interesting for you....on the side of the computer screen it had a button you could push to play games or surf the internet or watch TV or listen to music.  I was amazed!  The woman next to me was playing Freecell as she was walking!  I thought "I could never play a game or surf the net while running!"  But it was amazing that people do that.  Just a little tidbit there that I thought might interest you all!  Computerized treadmills....even to the extent that you can surf the net while treading!

Okay....so here are the details of my run:  I ran 2.51 miles at 4.9 MPH (the treadmill spit out a little report on the screen at the end of my run....see, I KNEW I wasn't running 5.0 MPH even though I had it set at 5.0 MPH!)  It took me about 31 minutes.  I don't know the exact time because it is Thursday, May 30th as I type this and the run was on Tuesday.  I've slept since then and I didn't have anything to write the information on with me so I have to just kind of guess at my faulty memory....the memory is one of the first things to go as you get older!  So we're going to say 31 minutes because I know it was in the 30's and it might've even been 32+ minutes but I just can't remember.  That gives me a pace of 12:21 according to my running website and we'll take that.

This run wasn't necessarily hard but I didn't really enjoy it.  I think it was because I knew I wasn't running at the right pace and I was busy trying to figure out how to make the treadmill work the way I wanted it to.  Next time I visit the Y I will ask someone for help.  In retrospect, I should've run the full 5k distance.  But I didn't like the treadmill and quite frankly it felt weird to be running in a room full of people.  Okay, so there weren't THAT many people there but there were people behind me and I know they were all caught up in their own little workout worlds with their own little workout routines, etc. but it felt strange and I was very self conscious.  It felt like my shorts were riding up and well, I just don't like the way parts of me bounce and jiggle.  Okay...there, I said it.  I don't want people staring at my flabby butt!  Pfffffffffft!!!!!  Anyway, would I go back to the Y and run again?  Sure I will.  But I will ask for help with the treadmills and I will run on one in the back next time.  Oh, one last thought....I don't like running in that sort of a public venue because I tend to be rather vocal when I'm running.  I cheer myself on, calling out how much longer, how many more miles, or talking to my iPod or the treadmill.  I'm sure I'm look and sound very silly to the average person who doesn't know me and I'm sure my family probably thinks I'm more than a little odd, but they love me so I don't care.  Strangers don't know or love me and they don't understand the mental tricks that help get me through a run.  I have to keep my "weirdness" in check when I run in a public place like that.  Bummer.  So I'm okay with this run, just wish I'd ran longer.  I could've done it, especially at the 4.9 MPH, 12:21 pace.  Oh, well, live and learn.

So, I guess the only thing that's left to say is:  It's fun to run at the Y....M....C....A!!!!!

Happy Running, y'all!

KEA

No Clever Title Today....Too Tired....

May 23, 2013

It's been a busy week this week.  Our cat had kittens yesterday and I spent the day watching over her and the new kittens.  It was fascinating!  This is the second cat that I've had who has had kittens and I've watched give birth.  I was going to get on the treadmill yesterday but it just didn't happen.  So today I knew I had to get a run in so I got dressed and got on the treadmill.

This was an uneventful run.  I'm just too tired to write much about it so I'll just give details and be done (I'm sitting on the floor; I'm hungry, sweaty and my butt hurts from the hard floor so we'll be brief.)

I ran two miles @ 5.0 MPH for a pace of 12:00.  I then walked .5 mile @ a pace of 3.6 MPH for a pace of 16:40.  I'm not sure how long it took because at 1.5 miles I stopped and I messed up the treadmill so I had to turn it off and turn it back on again....but I know it takes  24 minutes to run two miles at 5.0 MPH and it takes 16:40 to walk a mile at 3.6 MPH so that would be 24 minutes for the two miles and 8:20 for the half mile bringing the total up to 32:20 but when I plugged it into my online website it said 36 minutes and gave me an overall pace of 14:10 or something like that.  That can't be right but I'm too tired to go dink with it.  At any rate...this run made me tired and I'm still incredibly out of shape.  I need to get cracking because I've only got two weeks before I run my first 5k.  It's a Color Blaze run and should be fun.....if I can get back into shape!  The week after that is the Susan G. Komen.  I will be ready for that one although now I'm regretting signing up for the timing chip.  I'm so out of shape that I know my time will be much worse than last year!  However, that's not what that run is about.  It's about raising money to help those women who need financial help with preventative care, mammograms and treatment for breast cancer.  I'm asking that if you can, please donate to help these women.....even if it's only a few dollars.  Those few dollars can help!

Happy running!

KEA

Copy and past this URL in your browser to donate to the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure:  http://www.komenstlouis.org/site/TR/Race/General?px=1542226&pg=personal&fr_id=1150

Quick, Fast and In a Hurry

5/18/13

Had to get this run in really quick.  We are moving to another state and there are lots of things to take care of and lots of traveling in between now and when we move.  We just purchased a house where we are moving so there is a lot of back and forth right now.  Today I needed to get a quick run in before I left.  I had to take my husband's son to meet my husband so they could meet my husband's son's mother for the son's summer visit.  Confusing?  Well, yes, sort of.  It would be a lot easier if I said my son but that wouldn't be completely accurate....and I know not much of this is making sense because I've had a bit too much to drink and it's very late.  So....let's just cut to the chase and talk about the run, shall we?

Today's run was pretty good.  I knew I needed to get a run in and I debated the whole time just how long I'd spend on The Mill.  I ended up doing a 1.5 mile run which is what I've stuck to this week with a .5 mile cool down....sort of.  I started out thinking I might actually do a full 2 mile run.  I've got a 5k coming up on June 8th and I'm a bit nervous since I'm so out of shape.  It's getting late in the month and I don't have much time left for training so I really need to kick it up a notch and I'm afraid I won't be able to run a full 5k by the time it comes around.  So while I was debating this on The Mill I was running and gauging just how I felt.  It doesn't look promising, Folks, and I'm very upset with myself.  I should've started this sooner, but it is what it is and I have to accept it for that.  What will be will be and if I have to walk some, so be it.  I can say this with little disappointment tonight because I've had a bottle of wine and I'm feeling rather numb tonight.

So....anyway....I've not talked much about the run itself and I don't think I'm going to.  I'll just give the details and be done.  Today's run was a quick one.  I needed to get a run in before we left town because I felt I needed to work on my training despite everything else that needed to be done to prepare to leave.

I ran 1.5 @ 5 MPH for a pace of 12:00.  Then I did .5 mile @ 3.6 for a pace of 16:40 although at the end I kicked it up to *gulp* 6.0 MPH.....Billy Idol came on the iPod and I don't know about you, but I just can't walk to Billy Idol...besides at that point I was done with the whole workout thing and wanted to be done so I kicked it up way more than a notch.  The whole run took 24 minutes, was uneventful and unremarkable (although I guess by blogging about it I am remarking, LOL!)  I guess I could say more, but I'm typing this two days later (it's 2:34 on Sunday when the run was actually done on Saturday around 11:00 in the morning....) and I've had too much to drink and I really need to be in bed so if you're expecting prose, sorry, no can do tonight.

Having said that, I'm gonna pack it in and head to bed.  Tomorrow starts a new training week and I'm gonna have a bottle wine to run off tomorrow!

Happy Running (and cheers),

KEA

And We Are Off and Running.....Pun Indended!

May 15, 2013

Day two of training and today was a bit easier.  Today I was on the treadmill again.  I very briefly toyed with the idea of running outside but I was pretty sure I am not ready for the hills yet since I only started back up again Monday.  Maybe that's me being a wimp and I should reconsider.  If I tackle the hills now I don't have to tackle them later.  That's something to think about and I will have to consider it long and hard tonight during my quiet time after the kids have gone to bed.

So....today I was on THE MILL.  UGH!  Have I mentioned how much I hate THE MILL?  I suppose I have.  However, today I have guilt about saying how much I hate The Mill.  Today we meshed rather well if I do say so myself!  We kind of had an agreement.  I wouldn't detest him today if he wouldn't try to kill me.  It seemed to work out well.  Of course today I had the help of Cameo, Ricky Martin, The Trans Siberian Orchestra, Bon Jovi, and Billy Idol.  They kept me company rather well and helped speed the time along.  I really must make a new play list.  I get bored with the same ones.  The good thing about stopping running for a while (the ONLY good thing about it) is that when you put your headphones on and jam to your play list the songs are all fresh.  After you've run for a while you are listening to the same stuff over and over and over again and it gets stale and you get bored an unmotivated.  I say this after considering that I have well over a thousand songs on my iPod, LOL!  At any rate, yes, you do get bored.....even with thousands of songs!  I word in my defense though, I make playlists because obviously some songs are better for running than others.  I mean, who wants to run to Cyndi Lauper's "Time After Time"?  Anyone?  Didn't think so!  So, anyway, my songs are fresh and that makes it a little less boring.

Today's run was quite a bit better than Monday's.  I felt better and I wasn't out of breath as bad.  Today I focused quite a bit on my breathing because I did feel like I was breathing much to hard Monday.  I also had quite a cough after I got off The Mill on Monday.  I coughed all afternoon which is very strange because I didn't have a cold.  I have found that after a run, if I haven't run in a while, I develop a cough.  How strange.  I will have to look that up on the internet.  I'm digressing again though.  Today's run was better.  I was focusing on breathing.  I took deep breaths in and deep breaths out.  I tried to breath slowly and evenly so as to not become out of breath.  It seemed to work.  I'm not sure if it was my breathing technique or that my body remembers running but it felt better.  I will continue to experiment with this breathing technique over the next few days.  It felt good.

Today I did seem to wear out at first but as I ran I felt better.  During the first few minutes I wanted to stop.  My body kept saying "I'm tired.  I don't want to run." like my kids when they are being whiney and petulant.  I kept at it though and was able to get through my personal goal for today.  Today's goal was again to run 1.5 miles.  I know that's not very much but I'm trying to work myself up to the 5k and if I set out to run a full 3.1 miles I would fail.  I'm that out of shape.  I don't want to set myself up for failure and then quitting so I start my goals small and work up.  I should be running a full 5k by the middle of next week if today's training is evidence of how quickly I can recover my running legs.  Also this week I'm only running every other day.  Next week I will kick it up and run every day except weekends.  Saturday and Sunday will be my rest days.  I will be busy those days with my granddaughter and I need time to recover.

As far as runs goes, this one was okay to good.  I had to stop at the 1/2 mile intervals to take a drink.  That's okay.  Next week I will be better, stopping at the mile marks to get a drink.  As my strength increases my endurance will as well and I will be able to go farther between stops.  This is my goal for next week.  :-)

Here's the details:  I ran 1.5 miles @ 5.0 MPH for a pace of 12:00.  It took 18 minutes to complete this run.  I followed this up with 0.5 mile walking cool down @ 3.6 MPH for a pace of 16:40.  It took 8 minutes and 20 seconds to walk this.

I'm quite content with this run today even though it was on the treadmill.  I still like my Addidas Duramo's for The Mill.  My Addidas Marathon 10's are feeling a little jealous.  Sometimes I think I can hear them calling to me begging to get out of their box and go, LOL!  Patience, my dear Marathon 10's.  They are still my favorites but I did buy these Duramo's and I feel like since I spent so much money on them I need to use them.  Besides, they feel good on The Mill so that's a good place to wear them.

On to the next run!!!!

Happy Running!

KEA

P.S.  As I said on Monday, I will be posting the link so anyone who is interested can donate to the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure 5k.  This cause is very important to me and I am asking everyone to please be generous and donate, even if it's just a small amount.  Even a small amount can help women who don't have insurance obtain a mammogram and treatment for breast cancer.  Please donate to help:  http://www.komenstlouis.org/site/TR/Race/General?px=1542226&pg=personal&fr_id=1150

Thank you!

Short Sweet and To the Point

5/13/13

Okay....so once again, I know it's been a while....As a matter of fact, I looked on my shoe chart and it's been since March 25th since I've been on the treadmill.  UGH!!!!!  But, I registered for the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure 5k and it's on June 15th so I have to get back in shape.  I'm also seriously considering running the Color Blaze 5k on June 8th in my hometown so I really need to get back in shape because that one's less than a month to prepare.  So, let's just cut to the chase, this hurt!  And, I didn't run very long.

I started this run this afternoon with the intention of running a short distance.  I knew it had been a long time since I'd run so I knew it would be difficult.  In order to save myself all kinds of guilt and frustration I intentionally decided to do a short run to start with.  I will be doing this until I get my running legs (and my running lungs) back.  Today's run was 1.5 miles but I was interrupted just as I was starting.  The school called and I had to stop and take my son his inhaler.  No big deal; it's just about five minutes to the school and it gave me a little break.  Cheating?  Yes, of course, but this is day one and I've been off for a while.  Anyway, this run went smooth.  Not much to talk about except that it hurt and it was on The Mill which as you all know, I HATE.

Short run so here's the details:  1.5 miles @ 5 MPH for a pace of 12:00.  It took 18 minutes.  Boring, boring, boring....but necessary.

As I said, I am running the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure 5k.  This year I will be including in each of my blogs the link to donate.  This cause is extremely important to me so I want to raise as much money as possible for this cause.

Happy Running!

KEA

http://www.komenstlouis.org/site/TR/Race/General?px=1542226&pg=personal&fr_id=1150