Running

I used to be a runner. I'm pretty much of a wimp, so none of that "running through the pain" for me. I'd stop and walk if it hurt, and bad weather kept me in. I discovered Track & Field in High School after I made the realization that I was too uncoordinated to play team sports. In Track, I was usually the only one I could hurt. I ran 100m, 200m, 400m and relays, short stuff in other words. My senior year, my friends convinced me to come out for Cross Country, they needed another body on the team. Thus I discovered long distance running (see "wimp" above.) I also discovered the silence, the solitude, and my breathing. I continued the 200m and 400m in college, but dropped out of Cross Country after the first week of practice, including 5 mile runs at 6 AM.

A friend convinced me to run a 5K race with her when I turned 30. "It's for a good cause." she pleaded, "and it's only about 2 miles."

A 5K is 2.2 miles, to be exact. But why quibble? I ran it. I beat my friend. I won a medal. I wasn't hooked, but...well...intrigued. I ran 3 or 4 5Ks a year for the next 2 years until I got pregnant with J. Most of the time, I got a medal too. Not because I was good, but because there were surprisingly few people in my age category: Female, 30-35. I trained on my treadmill at home, because we lived on top of a hill: 30 minutes at 50% incline and 3 miles per hour, plus a warm up and cool down.

Come to think of it, I've lived on top of a hill for the past 10 years. Living in town this winter, with the remarkably flat, remarkably wide sidewalks, the girls and I have been doing a lot of walking. It's been fun and educational. Yesterday we re-examined the tank at the VFW, peeked through the gate at the WU football field, counted 107 cars on the train going by, looked at the Middle School, inspected the old log Court House, and discussed the various forms of architecture around town.

Yesterday, I thought "I think maybe I'd like to start running again." Think of it! Running on flat, wide sidewalks, finding silence and solitude and time to myself and my own breathing. It sounds lovely until I look at the thermometer this morning. It's 28* outside, and still a bit dark-ish at 7 AM.

Maybe tomorrow I'll run.

T

Christmas Cookies Going to Waist

Well, the season of complete gluttony is now past, and I am left with a barely dwindling pile of Christmas goodies. Chocolates, nuts, cookies, candies are piled on the counter to attract my eye at inappropriate times, especially at 10 PM when I'm watching Northern Exposure (I feel like I need the extra calories to protect me against the cold Alaskan winters). They call out to me too during the day. Although I really, REALLY love them, I am sort of anxious for them to be gone. Honestly, I have clothes warm enough to get me through the winter, I don't need the extra layer of fat. Thankfully we also have 26 steps up to the apartment, and I usually go up and down several times daily. We are also continuing our walks around town. Yesterday we walked to the dry cleaners, the Hospital Auxiliary Thrift Shop, and ventured down to the VFW to inspect the tank in their front yard. I also discovered Chocolate Mint Tea at Giant Eagle, which has plenty of caffeine from the Assam and Congou black tea leaves in it for that late afternoon crash, and also spearmint to perk me up and chocolate to calm the cravings. Mmmmm...lo-cal chocolate, who would have thought?

Warm thoughts...T