Running...

Running is for some a true love. They can't wait to hit the pavement.
I love the image that my mind creates. I imagine myself running. Long strides, loving it, looking forward to the next run. Alas, it is just my imagination.
Running is hard and in the summer, it is HOT !
I don't like to "glow"....it isn't even a glow I get, it is full fledge soaking sweaty. YUCK !
But I do like running with Gus. I HAVE to keep up. He gets my momentum up, and I go so that means he gets he needs to be redirected or dragged if he starts to sniff. It also means the run/workout ends a lot faster than say walking or yoga or pilates. I can say 1 mile or 1.5 or 2 miles.... then I am done.
Done I say, and I have accomplished something in less time than it takes Fun Mom to shower. I walk a little taller. I gain a little more respect from my children, because their mom accomplished something they thought she couldn't. The stress is beaten out of my neck and shoulders for a few minutes.
I am so glad to have Gus.
He motivates me to get up and out.
He drags, oh I mean, challenges me to go faster than I normally would.
And, I sleep ever so good afterwards... gotta love those early morning naps after a run...or the hard fast sleep after a late night run.

The Tests of Friendship

I have a dear friend.
She has a great sense of humor.
She has determination, grit, spunk, humor. She is kind. Her kids are friends with mine. That is an amazing feat in of itself, considering they nicknamed one of my children after the Terminator. We garage sale together.
We laugh together.
But she has learned one thing we don't do together anymore is run.
I love the idea of running. I love the fantasy that flashes through my mind's eyes once or twice a year. Running, alone, no kids, the pavement, the exertion...
However, I am not a teenager anymore. I haven't run consistently in a loooong time.
I have no desire to go through the pain I would have to go through to get there.
I will admit a couple of months ago, every night at 1130 I was having this deep desire to go run. One night, hubby was home and I just decided to go run. His jaw hit the floor. It was great. I did a whole mile never stopped. Felt great. Walked. Showered, went to bed. I could barely move the next day. The second day after was worse. My life doesn't stop while I recover from these crazy whims. My kids though proud of me, didn't like the sore grouchy mom they had around.

So this wonderful friend call me up and tells me she is in need of no children time. She needs adult time. OK. I am a mom, I get it, totally up for it! I even suggest Braums, ice cream is good. I knew her answer... NOOOO, she does no carbs, no sweets, no chocolate. I should be more like her.
"Lets go running." I laughed at her. OH, I laughed at her. Did I ever mention she is the cheerleader type. Super happy, cheerful, exuberant, encouraging, believes you can do it no matter how absolutely insane the idea is... YEP! That is my friend.
She knows I am not going to run, so she pulls out her wild card. You can ride a bike along with me while I run. Now, I won't mention how long it takes her to run a mile... just that slow and steady wins the race. She thinks I can keep pace with her on the bike. She just worries, I will fall over cause I am going so slow.
So thinking it will be a short trek through the neighborhood I agree.

So I borrow Fun Mom's bike, much to her dismay when she discovers later. I have yet to mention, when Fun Mom gets in one of her moods, I am a bit of a weenie and take the easiest way out. So this time, to make things a little bit more pleasant when she finds out, I haven't moved the gears or the seat. Well, Fun Mom is a bit SHORT in the leg department. Fun Mom is newly 14 and has the gears set to quite a challenging level.
This dear friend of mine, doesn't tell me until we are halfway, that oh, by the way, we are going to Dillons....
What ? ? ?
But by then, the ride is feeling good. My worst fear is crossing the highway.
All is good until 2 blocks from Dillons. My legs are getting a little tight.
"Know how far we are going?" I am asked.
I am guestimating 3 miles.
"Nope, I will tell you later." and she laughs, not a psychotic crazy laugh, but it might as well have been!

Now all would be good if we were riding through neighborhoods, but NOoOOOoooOOOO we are riding down one of the main streets in our neck of the woods. Not that there are hills in Kansas, but there are occassional inclines along the way. This cheerful, exuberant, fabulously ridiculous friend of mine is cracking jokes. We are making quite a site, me on my bike, she is riding along... and did I say the gears were set for QUITE a workout!

So we would inevitably get to one of those "inclines" when we were laughing so hard, how she could keep running, I had no idea, I looked like I had been sipping the Elderberry juice a bit too much. But I would get stuck, and start laughing all the more. Wouldn't you know, the cheerleader she is, would fall back behind me and start pushing, which would make me laugh all the more. All this is done on this super busy street, which got me to laughing all the more. Not a bit of pride is left in me at this point.

So we are halfway into the return stretch and the hurt is kicking in. I do not want to SIT on a bike anymore! But I don't want to look silly walking a bike home... NoooOOOOooo I don't want to look silly. Because I already look absolutely hysterical laughing and carrying on while trying to ride a bike that my running buddy is pushing from behind.

We finally return to my home. One hour and 24 minutes later. 7.25 miles later.
I could barely stand. I walk and walk and walk and walk. I had to walk more than I did after running. I had to sleep with ice packs all night.

I am laughing. I am crying. I only sit on nice cushy chairs. My knees feel like my sons whacked them with baseball bats.

I think I am done biking... To which the cheerleader says, but if you ride 13 more times, your body will have adjusted and it won't hurt so bad. This pain means you just need to do it more! Have I mentioned she is 7 years younger than me. My daughter turned 14 today. My husband told me I couldn't tell people I was 29 years old, because then he might have to go to jail. My kids have discovered that I am not mid-30s but late 30s now. Friends at church were shocked to hear I was even still in my 30's cause after all my daughter is starting high school next year. Aiy, it is good to have friends, even the young ones who help us to laugh at our aging selves.

Running with Friends = Laugh till Your Cheeks Hurt

I went running again tonight with a couple of friends. I won't mention names.
They know who they are.
I received quite a bit of teasing at our girls night out.
I am not a runner like they can be. Maybe one day. But I lack consistency, have allergy and sometimes breathing issues. Not to mention child issues. Getting a chance to get away from them, that is.
Tonight though was my redemption.
I got the phone call.
They would meet me at such n such corner. I was to leave 2 minutes after hanging up.
I did.
I waited and waited. I was starting to feel weird standing at the corner doing nothing.
So I waited a bit more.
I saw 2 heads bobbing up over a hill. I waved at them..
I started running. Cause I am not the runner they are, they would catch up with me.
They never saw me! Since I was not at the corner they turned to go to my house.
I quickly called Fun Mom to rush out and redirect them..."Tell them, I am on the road and I will see them when they catch me!"
She did.
Guess what?!? They never did catch me. I even had to stop and re-tie my shoes.
I finally started walking towards them.
They finally caught up to me. They were WALKING! ! ! !!
Oh, so they are never going to live this down, ever.
It was hot, but I was running.
The best part is.... When we got back to my house they pleaded with me to give them a ride home in the air conditioning. Oh the beauty of this story. Cause not too long ago, I pleaded for a ride home. They took me on what was suppose to be a mile run which ended up being a 2.6 mile run. The last 1/2 mile just did not have to be done, there was a house with a couple of vans parked in front and they could have driven me home....
But, then again I wouldn't have such a sweet story to tell.
So thanks ladies, for challenging me and pushing me (literally) along.
Maybe one day I will hold my own with you when we go running.

I went running ! ? ! ?

Because it was May last week, and because it is June now, Breathing is considered highly over~rated by me. Meaning my allergies have attacked my life and my family's coordinator of all things. However, last Wednesday morning it was raining. I do get a light reprieve when it rains. I took 2 kiddos and my neice garage sale-ing and "ran" into dear friend Dara. She was on the way to the gym and felt she must follow me garage sale-ing. Well we got to having such a good time, she missed her work out. She hurried on her way and called me a bit later and told me she was running and I out to drive by if I could. Well I did.

And because breathing is highly over~rated I joined her on her run!

It was amazing how well I did, I coughed and choked a bit. But I managed to not need my inhaler! I hope she will let me join her again!