My mind was wandering this morning. The dry coolness in the air reminds me of my first September in Utah. I first came to, and fell in love with Utah during the winter ( I adored the skiing). So when I returned the next school year, late summer and Fall was like a bonus. This morning was cool, but I kept hitting little pockets of warm air that collect near the river under the trees. I love this weather and the clear blue pre-dawn sky. I worked a little harder today (still sans Garmin). I tried to remember and practice the gait that I developed when I ran with Catherine and Amanda. They were both shorter than me by 4 inches, and they each have this short little quick-step. We always averaged 8:30's. So I did that for a while, but also stopped to stretch a few times. The exhaustion feels like it's diminishing, but I still have a lot of tightness and am still a sore in my thigh--but it really feels like it's getting better. I was remembering the last time I had a satisfying fast run. It was my last day in Rhode Island. I took an ibuprofen and hit it hard. It was beautiful sea-side running on the cliffwalk above a sparkling Blue Ocean. I still reflect on those moments. I loved the morning post-run swimming. Those were calm beautiful days. It's nice to have those memories. But I feel like that was a million years ago. This morning, after four miles on my own, I came home, got the kids out of bed, fed them breakfast/made their lunches, saw them off to school on their bike's, and then ran up to Sarah's to meet her for her four. Running with Sarah is just like eating candy. Not that the miles or the effort don't count, but it's just so darn therapeutic. Yeah! It's Friday! | 