1. Best run ever: Hmmmmm. I'm not sure if it's the best ever, but I just finished the Palouse Days 10K (my first EVER 10K). The course was tough, hot, and hilly, but beautiful and peaceful. I didn't have a stellar time, but I was proud that I challenged myself to do something I had never done before.
Toward the end of the race, I was thoroughly exhausted and ready to be done. I hadn't seen another runner for quite some time and was feeling a bit alone on the course. When the finish line came into sight, a woman I had never met ran up to me, smiling and offering encouragement. She ran the last 100 yards or so with me, and not in an I-have-pity-on-you-and-your-slowness kind of way, but more of a you-are-awesome-and-make-me-want-to-run-with-you kind of way.
2. Three words that describe my running: Work. Important. Plodding.
3. My go-to running outfit is: My fear of jiggly legs keeps me away from shorts, so capris are a must for me. When it's cold I bundle up in warm-up pants (my daughter calls them swishy pants) or wear long running tights under my capris or yoga pants. Also, as I was flipping through photos to use in this post, I noticed I wear my purple dri-tech running top quite often. Here it is again from the Plaouse River Duathlon:
(Rockin' the purple top and capris - pretty much what I always run in.)
4. Quirky habit while running: I listen to a really odd mix on my iPod when I run. It's got music from Glee, Worship songs, country classics, modern pop, late '90s, and the occasional audiobook. I also am the most easily distracted runner I know. I'll try hard to focus on my third hill repeat, spot a squirrel crossing ahead of me and have a crazy stream of consciousnesses:
That squirrel sure has a big tail. Hey, I wonder, where do squirrels go in the winter? Trees? Underground? My garage? I hope they don't get in the garage. The garage really needs to be swept out and I need to tell Lana not to color with her chalk inside the garage because it doesn't wash away with the rain. Oh, I think my car is due for an oil change and when do we need to put the winter tires on? It's only September, I don't need winter tires until November. November Rain is a really great song. I need to download that when I get home and add it to my running playlist. Sweet, I'm at the top of the hill. I totally ran that one faster than the first two. Well, maybe, I'm not sure. Maybe I need to focus harder?
5. Morning, midday, evening: 1-2 days per week I get out during lunch time and run near my work. It's a very runner/pedestrian friendly campus and there are several great paths I can take depending on how much time I've got. My early morning Sunday runs are great. I try to get up before the rest of the family and spend a quiet morning on country roads. I've also recently started running on Wednesday evenings while my daughter is in a class. It's different, but I'm grateful for the time. If I had to choose a favorite, I'd pick morning.
6. I won’t run outside when it’s: Icy. I'm klutzy enough as it is, and adding ice will pretty much guarantee disaster. Hard rain and blinding snow are also great deterrents.
7. Worst injury—and how I got over it: It wasn't a true running injury, but last year when I went through bronchitis-bronchitis-pneumonia, my running came to a halt. It was a loooooong time before I could breathe pain-free and took weeks after I was healthy to build back my (already fairly lackluster) mileage.
8. I felt most like a bad*** mother runner when: My daughter watches me run. Lana, my sweet little cheerleader, honestly believes I'm fast and that I win every race I run. She loves riding in the jogging stroller (she calls it the "fast stroller") and has certain points of a run where she'll ratchet up the encouragement. In her eyes I am strong and capable of greatness.
(This dear girl was a more welcome sight than a table of Gatorade at the end of the Palouse River Duathlon.)
9. Next race is: I haven't decided. Now that I've completed a 10K, I think I'd like to do another one before the snow flies.
10. Potential running goal for 2013: In May I'll do the Palouse River Duathlon again. I really like that race and family members compete in it too and it's awesome to have a ready-made support system already there. I'll check local race calendars for another 10K as well. If you've got a favorite local race, let me know and maybe I'll join you next year!
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