T minusTwo Weeks

Great day to you in blog world!

Ok, so nothing outstandingly great about it, but I am alive and well and my son and fiance are alive and healthy. I couldn't ask for more. There are a lot of bad things that go on in the world today, I don't think I need to go into the details of the recent horrors of the elementary school shooting a few days ago. Needless to say, everyone is holding their children a little closer and a little longer these days.

I could go on for hours about that topic, but really, it can't change anything. I have been one of those people that has always appreciated my son and know everyday how lucky I am to have him. Most people that know me know that my pregnancy with Parker wasn't that great and it ended pretty scarily. He was induced early as me staying pregnant with him was more of a danger to both him and I than the risk of him being born early. He was on the verge of having a heart attack just seconds before his entry into the world, I think that was one of the scariest moments of my life. Becoming a mother for the first time is pretty scary as it is, but to have it start out by hearing that your nearly born baby is going to have a heart attack if he isn't born quickly is scary. But, even with everything, Parker was almost perfectly healthy. He did have to get admitted to Children's Hospital the day after we got to take him home, but it was only a case of jaundice. He has had to have heart tests, but other than a heart murmer he appears to have no signs of the heart disease that his father has. So, to say that I count my blessings every day is an understatement.

The point of my blog today was supposed to be about...you guessed it, running. Running and fitness seem to be pretty high on my list of discussion topics these days. It's ok I guess, it just still really surprises me that these things come out of my mouth. So anyway, on my way home from work this morning I wasn't really feeling very tired, so I decided that I was going to go for a run when I got home. Before I went out I downloaded a new app to use during my runs. I absolutely love c25k and cannot say enough good things about it, and I cannot lie, I did not finish the entire 9 weeks, but once you get to a certain point it's easy to take the reigns yourself. I needed the structure when I first started running, but now I am at the point where I can run 25 minutes straight on the treadmill and getting close to the 5k distance so I feel comfortable on my own. Anyway, I wanted something to track my distance and time still, and I found an app that does this and tracks my goals and calories burned at the same time. It was only 28 degrees out but rather sunny so it wasn't that bad, and halfway through my run I remember thinking about how warm I was even though I didn't dress too heavily I was still sweating pretty good and at one point actually hot. Thinking back on it afterwards, I have decided that I am losing my mind and should consult professional help. The me from a few months ago would never have voluntarily gone out into the cold let alone go out there in the cold to go running. But once I was out there I enjoyed the scenery and the thoughts in my head.

One of the thoughts that I had was that the Color My New Year 5k Run is exactly two weeks away! I dont' know why but for some reason I was honestly thinking that it was still 3 weeks away. I am super pumped and excited, but at the same time nervous. I was really hoping to be doing a lot better by this point. I've written before about how frustrated I get running outside in the cold and how frustrating it is that I am still at a 14 minute mile. I am really trying to not get frustrated and to just get out there and do it. I don't have to be the best, it's not in any way a competition for me. I do have a goal of someday being able to keep pace with my bestie, but not in a competative way at all. Just in a way that we can actually run together and run together. Right now I am just enjoying the fact that my bestie has gotten me started on this journey and that we are in this together!

So here we are, two weeks away from my first ever running 5k! The run that seemed so far away when I started running is now only two weeks away and will be my 2nd run in my year of runs.

Until next time...happy running!!!