Today? I ran further than ever before.

I even ran some of the hills. I didn't notice they were hills, they weren't so steep, so they don't really count.

I have a few rules when I run:

1. Life is too short to be spending it in agony running uphill. No one loves running uphill. Hills suck. Take them slow, enjoy the view at the top, then run willy-nilly down the hill, but don't pretend you like running uphill because I don't believe you for one minute.

2. Run as naked as possible. And by this I mean with as little gear as you can get by. And as lightweight clothes as possible. There is nothing worse than over-dressing for a run, or having to run carrying a large bunch of keys. If you don't need it, don't run with it. Some of my best runs have been without music, with just the rhythm of my heartbeat and breath and steps in my ears.

3. Always run for the love of it. Running to lose weight or get in shape are worthy reasons, but for myself, I run for the sheer joy of movement. The joy of running as fast as I can (I can never run long without sprinting a bit) or to work out a problem in my head or to get some emotion, that is too big to be contained in my body, out. Running is my therapy, it is my love, it is my joy.

So, here are some pictures from today. I'm in a fair amount of pain, but I did it, and at around 10 min miles, so whooooohoooo! After this I am falling promptly into a deep slumber.

Here are the two lovely girls I ran with, and mine's shadow. Lexie's is on the left, Pionek is in the middle, and I'm on the end. This was taken about halfway through.


This is a view of the race after we'd hit the half way mark. The lake was lovely. It was cold, and I wore three layers on top- an under armor Tshirt, with an under armor long sleeve over it, and my favorite zip up over that. I carried tissues, my keys, and my iphone in my zipoup.


Pionek and I after the race. She was a huge motivator during the race and stuck by my side even though she could have easily have gone much faster! So much more fun running with friends.