Things I've learned about running so far

We're back in the running groove. It feels good to be back. I hated being sick for a whole week and getting out of it for awhile.

I have learned some things since we have been doing this. They are things that help me. Might not work for everyone, but this is what I feel like I've learned from my experiences so far.

1. I am at my best for it early in the morning. Might seem odd, but I prefer going way early before work. Partially because I'm not awake enough yet to feel hungry (otherwise running on an empty stomach = not fun) and partially because with the hot humid days we experience here, it's still pretty cool outside at 5:45 am. And there is very little traffic on the road. It's peaceful. I like it.

2. Sometimes it helps to think in distance and not time. I know my neighborhood and how long it takes to get from A to B. So, I know so many blocks equals 10 minutes, etc. If I think in terms of the blocks I need to cover, it's easier to finish.

3. Good shoes make all the difference in the world. It is worth the money. I resisted for awhile thinking the tennis shoes I had were good enough. I had no idea until I got my current shoes. No idea at all.

4. Along the same lines - clothes that breathe are super important. I started out doing cotton shirts and I would feel like I was drowning towards the end of a run. I found a couple of cheap shirts made out of material specifically made to wick away moisture and let me tell you - helped a ton.

5. It's better to leave the iPod at home. Again, this is just me personally, but unless I have an outstanding mix of running music going, some songs slow me down or even discourage me. I had it on random one day and Tori Amos's "Crucify Yourself" came on and it was all over at that point! Plus, I don't have anything to clip the iPod to my body with so I have to carry it in my hand. I found as soon as I gave up on it I actually really, truly found my running groove.

I am amazed at how quickly we've bounced back after missing the entire week I was sick. We're not to where we were about a month ago quite yet, but I'm confident we'll get back there very soon, which considering it took us several months to originally get to that point, a couple of weeks is not too bad!

We'll keep at it!