The First Mile

Can I just admit something? Rarely do I enjoy the first mile of any run. 
There. I've said it.

In the first tenth of the first mile, I'm feeling pretty good. I'm glad I'm on the road again. I feel ready to tackle whatever my daily running goal is. And I feel all good about my discipline! 

But somewhere around .14 all of the uncomfortableness of running hits hard. My legs feel tired. I hear myself breathing. 

Nothing feels good. Nothing feels right. 

In that first mile, the discomfort is what could keep me from the second mile. But it doesn't. 

Why? Because I've got something stronger than discomfort in my favor.

And that's the decision. The decision to keep going. 

You see, I've already pushed through the discomfort of the first mile enough times to know that the decision to carry on overcomes the discomfort. And I know from past success that once I make it through the first mile, it's a done deal to complete what I've started. 
Very rarely do I cut a run shorter than what I planned before I even put on my running shoes. 

A made up mind is no match for momentary discomfort. 

Is the first mile a challenge for you? What pulls you through?

Sweatin' It Out for 30 Miles!

I did it! I accomplished my goal of running a 30 mile week.

Mon. - 5 miles
Tues. - 6 miles
Wed. - 5 miles
Thurs. - 3 miles
Fri. - 7 miles
Sat. - 4 miles

Our temperatures have been in the low 80's and I can feel the Florida humidity making a comeback!

I dug out the visors and the sunscreen, but I am searching for a visor or a headband that will keep the sweat from dripping into my eyes! 

 As a contact lens wearer, sweat in the eyes presents a problem and sunscreen mixed with sweat really stings!

I really do want to wear sunscreen on my face to protect it from harmful rays, wrinkles and crow's feet but I may have to keep my forehead covered by a visor or band and skip the sunscreen there.
I also wear these oversized sunglasses:

These are by Miu Miu and retail for over $100 but were free to me!

The wide side pieces allow for good "crow's feet coverage." 

I like these Nike Pacer Shorts and the running tank. CUTE!

 I recently met a blog/fb friend who was in my area for vacation. She let me know she would be here and we scheduled a run! How fun! She and her husband also attended our church with us while they were here.
When you go on vacay, do you fit a run in to your schedule?

So how is your spring running going? 

Any new running goals?


What are your must haves for warm weather running?

Running With God

 ~I'm a guest blogger at Roof With A View today! Click on this link to visit and read my post.

Have I mentioned lately how much I love running? 

I have finally begun to increase my mileage. For a while I was stuck on 3.1 miles each day. But I have been wanting to move beyond that mental block of 3 miles and I am finally pushing myself to run more than 4 miles most days of the week. My weekly mileage goal is to get in 22 - 25 miles each week. 

One of the reasons I enjoy running so much is that it has become such a wonderful time with my running partner. Some days I run with a friend and lately my husband has been going with me once or twice a week. But I'm not taking about running with one of my girlfriends or with my husband.

My favorite running partner is God. Yep. You read that right. We run together. 
When I began running again almost a year ago, I ran and wrestled. 
You see, God and I had some things to work out. And in the beginning it felt like a wrestling match. But after a few months the wrestling began to feel more like a dance. And I'm loving the footwork!

I run and meditate on my current meditation/memorization scripture and it is always then that I begin to feel that wonderful sense of partnership and the inspiration that flows from that. 


My current meditation passage is this:


"For our light affliction, that is but for a moment, is working in us a far more eternal weight of glory. While we do not look at the things that are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary and the things which are not seen are eternal." ~ 2 Corinthians 4:17 - 19 NKJV


 Believe me, I've been through some things that are not at all "light" and have not felt so "temporary." 
But I can view them as light and temporary when I look at them in the light of Eternity. 
One day all of the sorrow we have experienced will be gone. God will dry all of our tears and that exuberant and wild shout of joy you will hear in Heaven? Well, that will be me. When I see Jesus and my boy, Andrew, watch out, because you have never seen someone dance for joy like you'll be seeing me! 
No more wrestling. Only dancing.
I can't wait. What about you?


If you would like to hear more about how we can view our affliction as light and temporary, click on this link for a short video I made a few days ago.
And feel free to leave a comment and share with me how your running is going. I'd really like to hear about it.