A Girl Who Runs Like a Deer

So, you might be wondering how this all started. What got me to lace up my shoes in the first place? It started a few years ago, when I was walking in the Race for Hope, an annual charity run/walk 5k to raise money and awareness for brain cancer research. It is an event I have participated in for at least 10 years and allows me to pay tribute to my dad, who succumbed to this horrible disease at the impossibly young age of 47, leaving my mom a widow at age 40 and my sister and I without a father at the age of 16. It really is like another lifetime ago, but at the same time still feels like yesterday.

I would walk the Race for Hope each year with dear friends who sadly lost their close friend to brain cancer as well. Each year we would marvel at the runners - we'd sometime even try to run for a few minutes ourselves, before returning to our leisurely walking pace and comfortable chit chat. Then two years ago, I made a mental note and decided that I would run the race the following year. I kept this promise to myself for awhile, not wanting to utter the commitment out loud, but as last year's race began approaching I knew I had to start preparing. I began the Couch 2 5K program, which was perfect for me and eased me into running so I wouldn't get injured. I also started going to boot camp to get stronger and build endurance, and come race day last May, I was ready.

I was incredibly nervous the day of the race, but was delighted to see the masses of people, which I knew would allow me to get lost in the crowd and run my own race. It was unusually hot and humid that day, and just a mile in I knew I was going to be in trouble if I didn't really pace myself. I was incredibly slow, but I ran the race for the first time, and the accomplishment felt great.

I wore a shirt at the race that said "Missing My Dad Today."  I could probably wear that shirt every day, as all these years later it is still a true sentiment. Because honoring him was my motivation to begin running again, I often think about him when I run, and I often wonder if he knows about his 4 amazing grandsons, selfishly wishing for a sign from above. I also think about a note that he wrote me not long before he died, one that I would find after track practice one day: "To Sheri - a girl who runs like a deer, and a dear who likes to run."

So tonight, with the sun setting on my run, I couldn't help but gasp when I felt someone looking at me, and when I turned there was nothing but a lone deer no more than 2 feet away from me. Maybe not a sign, but certainly a push to keep me going. Thanks Dad...

Miles remaining at last post: 349
Miles run since last post: 7
Miles run total to date: 23
Miles to go: 342

The Only Thing Worse than Running on a Treadmill....

... is running HILLS on a treadmill.  Recognizing how loathsome the treadmill is for me, my wonderful friend Lori gave me copies of treadmill workouts to help "mix it up," so to speak. This really did sound like a great idea at the time. Instead of the minutes slowly creeping by, I could change up my speed every few minutes and get some hill action in at the same time! Let's hit the treadmill!

So... let's just say that the workout was "overly ambitious," to put it kindly. The low point was almost falling backwards off the treadmill due to my complete inability to keep up with the pace. It was the kind of torture I don't even think Dick Cheney would approve of. In a vain attempt to salvage the workout I actually tried to decrease the incline of the treadmill to lower than 0% at one point (note to self - in my free time, must invent treadmill that allows you to run downhill). Ten minutes in, I sadly had to pitch the workout so I could at least get in my mileage for the day.

But despite this hate/hate relationship, I did manage to rack up some mileage on the treadmill this week: 9 miles total. The beast that is the treadmill "hill" workout will be something I definitely revisit, though, and will be a good benchmark to see how much stronger I am becoming over the year.  So, I'm still off pace, but here's where I am:

Miles remaining at last post: 358
Miles run since last post: 9
Miles run total to date: 16
Miles to go: 349

Can't wait to run outside this weekend!