On the Run . . . One Step at a Time

Today I am grateful for our dog Oliver. We had boarded him for three days and we all missed him. It's good to have him home. I am also grateful for family outdoor activities . . . at one point yesterday morning my son and I were sharing mowing duties, my stepdaughter was cleaning the car she drives, and my husband and mother-in-law were pulling weeds and doing some trimming. The only one not outside was Oliver. He had just had a bath, and it was already pretty hot outside for him too.

I am getting this post out early this morning because my husband and I will be running for a few hours and I may not have much energy after that. We are hoping to do about 20 miles. This is our first 20-miler for this marathon training season. We do at least two 20-milers, sometimes three. We are carb-loaded and hydrated and we'll take it one step at a time.

Call me crazy, but I look forward to these long runs. I appreciate the time with my husband and with nature. I also appreciate the mental training along with the physical training. We do the Galloway method on long runs. Roughly every mile we walk for 45 seconds or so. It really saves our legs and gives the micro-tears that naturally develop a chance for a break so they don't turn into major tears or other issues.

For a pretty competitive person, it was at first hard for me to do the run-walk method. It seemed like the easy way out or something. But after trying it on some runs and still having gas in the tank the last few miles, and not being nearly as sore that day or the next, I became a believer. To me, it's about covering the miles. Not the fastest way possible, but the most enjoyable way possible.

One step at a time, I run. One day at a time, I practice gratitude.

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