Ready, set, run!

Adam and Nala after a run/walk

People! My brain is so ADD right now! I can't concentrate. Here I come to you from my office desk. There is stuff  on my desk that needs to be processed but Thanksgiving being around the corner I am in vacation mode. Oh, I wish I was taking the day after Thanksgiving off and NOT to shop but to just hang around and enjoy family.

Nonetheless, this weekend will be a fun weekend! On Saturday, Adam and I are registered in the Ugly Sweater Run San Diego!

I thought this was my first 5k ever. But going back into my memory bank, this will be my 3rd or 4th but this time it is a RUN and not a walk.

You have to understand this - I am NOT a runner! In high school, I HATED P.E.!

In the 10th grade, I had a super crush in high school. He could have been compared to that player  Tiger Woods. One day our teacher had us do a timed 1 mile run. Note: I am NOT a runner! At the end of the run, I was on the ground on all fours, gasping for air, looking a HOT MESS! My crush looked back at me in disgust as  he walked away with the rest of my class as my teacher is tellling me to breath. Lungs, please!

So fast forward to when I met my husband and when he came home from Iraq. When we talked about this and that, I think he said one of the things he wanted in a woman was that she was a runner. Looking back I think that was so he could be encouraged to run because now that we've been married for two years, I have found out that he does not like running at all! Unfortunately, it was one of the little things that I was worried about for a little bit. But now I'm not!

Reading a few blogs, Facebook, etc about people who are runners or people who have the ambition to run a half marathon or a full marathon has got me thinking.

From working around people who have to keep in tip top shape, I would hear about the injuries that would occur due to running and sometimes a surgery that was needed to correct the problem, aka bad knees. I don't want to be the hobbling old woman in my older years!

It wasn't until a week after I found out I pregnant that my friend Nefertari asked if I wanted to train for a half marathon. And I was like, um...she said, you're pregnant huh?! So with that I decided that it was in the best interest of me and the little babe not to be doing something so strenuous, at least I thought it was, not being a runner and all.

After losing the baby and going through grief, training for a half marathon was the furthest thing from my mind.

It wasn't until months later, I started to think about it again. After having another heartfelt, encouraging conversation with Nefertari, we turned to a lighter subject - running! We talked about what our outfits might look like. We would be the Running Skirts!

Now when a friend of mine on Facebook invited a bunch of people to run in the Ugly Sweater run, I asked Adam if he wanted to and he said sure! So I signed us up for it!

We decided to train 3 days a week and the other days would be for weight lifting. I can't say that we have been totally faithful to that schedule but we have been doing it.

I have to say that the woman I am now and the girl that I was then are a bit different. I can run longer without gasping for air, I have a bit more grace for myself when I can't totally run my goal and I have a man that loves me!

So Saturday we will be running our first 5k together!

Ready, Set, RUN!

I hope you all have a very uncommercialized Happy Thanksgiving with your friends and family!

Love,

Mrs. M

Gracie, Nala, and Daddy