there are always gifts...

seeing a moose on vacation during a picnic lunch
tomatoes growing
kids laughing
the sunshine on my face
the wind at my back during a pain-free run
church with people that long to know God more
new curriculum
a baby shower for my sister
a successful garage sale
time with an older and wiser woman who takes Titus 2 seriously
time away
potted plant coming back to life
seeing a fawn in my backyard

it's good to be home after 9 days away. we went to south dakota, wyoming, and colorado for vacation this year. we had a great time! no running, but lots of hiking. i think i needed the break, so my leg could heal. hopefully it has...i'll probably find out today when i get back to it.

i took lots of pictures, here are a few:

 it wouldn't be a vacation without a shot like this. ☺

oh running, i missed you.

i took some more time off because i could tell my leg still wasn't right.

i ran 3 today for the first time in almost a week. i felt fine when i ran, but afterwards i could still feel some pain. weird.

when i'm not running, the question in my mind is always how long can i take off before i lose everything i worked so hard for? it's amazing how fast that can happen.

i am on week 3 for marathon training, and running is kind of an essential part of the plan. hopefully it will get better soon.

i discovered a new tank at target. have you seen these? i love them! i have them in black and purple.

ps - i decided to stay at this url. i just made a few changes.

day 1...

here i go, marathon training day 1 is done.

i'm using this plan from hal. gotta love that guy!

after 4 days off, my leg seems to be feeling better. 

i ran 3 today, and took it easy.

yesterday was my all time worst run ever. i finished, but definitely not with a good time.
it was humid.
i had to stand in a porta potty line for 10 minutes at mile 3. i kept waiting for a shorter line, but they were all long.
at that point, i knew any time goal i had was gone. then at mile 6, my right leg (the one that i've had off and on pain with) was hurting really bad. i actually almost considered dropping out at that point, which i've never done. somehow i made it to the finish. my average pace ended up being: 12:36. i was hoping for 10 or less, and i knew i could do it. my training had been good. oh well. it was just one of those days.

i'm planning to rest my leg for a few days, and then hopefully start training for twin cities.