Running Alone...

It's something I do often. I run alone. I will try and meet up with a fellow runner and run with him/her but often, I run alone. Even when registering for races - we may start together, I run alone. It's not lonely in any way. It's comforting to me. I don't race. I just run. I know that I am not the fastest in the pack nor do I look like the "ideal", but I know that I am capable and I go. Running alone is something I have missed very much in the last two weeks.

Instead - my running and sadly, training is being interrupted by life. This time - in the form of children. My dear, sweet husband is away on a two-week trip with my father and several friends. They've left us for the great North, fishing in parts of Canada - becoming one with nature and the fishing pole, lol. This leaves me with our two little ones. Translation: running only happens when I'm chasing them or when they're asleep.  Factor in that the 4 year old doesn't always want to sleep and bedtime does not go as smoothly as envisioned and I'm too exhausted to get my runs in. Translation: Mommy is quite cranky. Ideally, I would make like Mary Poppins and produce a jogging stroller fit for two and take them with me. I know I put that bag somewhere...

My sister Carolyn and I pre-race.

I did manage to complete the Neon Run 5K but didn't have as good a run as anticipated. I'll recap the event in my next post but I've decided I will not run anywhere near/on the Fairgrounds except to finish the Frederick Half from here on out.  The combination of poor lighting/darkness, unclear course = fallen cones) and unsteady terrain = road, gravel, sand, grass made for a not so good run. I ended up rolling on my left ankle towards the end of mile two, hobbled and walked a half-mile before slowly jogging to the finish line. The  next morning I was relieved to find I didn't injure it as badly as I first thought and was able to put some weight on it with some run/walk intervals on the treadmill during random nap times.  I'm thankful it wasn't nearly as bad as it could have been and I'm still able to push forward...and I will.

With two big events looming ahead - the Divas Half Marathon in September and the City of Oaks Marathon in November, I've got much less time to get in the training needed. I feel as though, once again, I will be putting in a bit more of run/walk intervals than I would have liked. It's discouraging at best but I know that a mile is a mile. I will get from start to finish and I will not be the first and quite possibly, the last BUT I will get there.

Never Give Up.