5K without stopping!

I like to think that something is changing in me… that I’m actually developing this running “habit” that I’m yearning to have.  That it can move away from the hopeful habits (meditation, accordion playing, painting) and into the actual habits category.  I won’t go into the latter though.

Getting back into the groove after my NOLA trip and subsequent 1.5 week laryngitis/lung coughing fest was not as hard as I thought it would be.  I went out three times last week, including twice on beautiful trails in town.  This past weekend B and I drove up to Cincinnati for a whirlwind birthday party for B’s 4 year old nephew, so Fri-Sun were a wash.  But Monday I hit the pavement and hit my first benchmark — 3.1 miles, a true 5k — without stopping.

And I did it again today.  3.35 miles. Now, my time is so slow that I’m not even going to post.  I know I could do better, because unlike in the past, my lungs weren’t what slowed me down, it was my leg muscles.  

One of the things I love is how running actually helps me slow down.  I count cats, look at the plants, say hi to the dog walkers, scope out bumper stickers… like the one above!  I saw this on a car in my neighborhood, with North Carolina plates.  

There are a lot of Vermonters here.  I spend some time in every run thinking about why I care, why I’m going to fundraise.  The running is good for me — nothing like guilt and peer pressure to get me to do something.  But the fundraising is because I actually believe that the “impossible” is happening in Vermont… that people are steadily claiming their power and voice there and instituting REAL changes.  Don’t get me started on North Carolina!