Back at it

After yesterday's walk turned into a run halfway through, I kind of caught the bug to get back into my running. I don't know if anyone remembers, but a while back I declared that this would be the year of the half-marathon for me. Since then, I have done nothing in the running department to further my goal. Sure, I have put in a mile or two here and there, but I found myself in a funk and just couldn't bring myself to really run. I kept up with my other cardio and my strength training, but since running outside in my first (and only) 5k last November, the treadmill just doesn't do it for me. And I didn't have the will to push it.

Well, with the return of the nice weather here in Northern California (at least temporarily,) I got just the inspiration I needed to get my feet moving. This morning I left my house, intent only on running as far as I felt able, and just getting back out there. We live in a rural town, but right next to a (slightly) bigger one, and so I headed out down my country-ish road towards our local grocery store, Raley's. My husband was home working on something, but he was going to be heading to the store to pick up some chorizo for breakfast (as my mother-in-law is making homemade tortillas as I type this,) and I figured that I would just keep running as long as I could, and he could pick me up on his way back home if I couldn't go any further. 

Where the rural part of our road ends and the more populated area starts is about a mile and a half. When I was training for the 5k, that was how I marked where to turn around to come back to get the full distance. But as I reached that point this morning, my hubby had not yet driven past me on his way to the store, and I didn't want to turn around and run where I had already been, so I kept going. Where our road ends altogether is about 2 miles from my home, so I figured I would get to there, and if I hadn't seen any sign of my husband I would just keep going as far as I could. I reached the corner - still no sign of Hubby. So I thought "Well, I'll just keep going until I can't." 

And I did. I just kept running, eventually deciding that I would just try to make it to Raley's. At some point I figured that my husband must have already passed me and I just hadn't noticed. Well, I made it all the way to the store. A distance of 3 miles. And I probably could have gone a bit further, but at that point I just decided that I might as well meet my husband there and catch a ride back home. So I pulled out my cell phone and called him, figuring he was already inside somewhere, and simultaneously when he answered I saw him at the stoplight waiting to pull in. 

"Did I pass you?" he asked me. When I told him no, that I was at Raley's, he was surprised. "I was starting to worry that maybe you'd hurt yourself and fallen in a ditch." 

But no, I ran all the way. The first time since Thanksgiving that I have run that far. And it felt wonderful to accomplish. I think I am ready to start my training for the half-marathon. But for now, there is chorizo & eggs and fresh-made tortillas waiting for me.

Not my chorizo, but close enough. This one doesn't have eggs in it yet.