8 Miles is a lot harder than it looks............

Today was LRD....Long Run Day. 8 miles according to my half-marathon training schedule. Did the first 4.31 with my running buddy. We made a big loop to get in the distance...and the route wasn't bad. Some of the hills were rough. Dogs made themselves scarce, but I carried a big stick just in case. The heat today was the worst thing. Felt like I was running with a blanket wrapped around my shoulders. My friend had somewhere to be so she didn't want to try to run another loop, and I had to go to the bathroom. I haven't quite gotten comfortable enough to get behind a tree, so I drove home and used the facilities there. I took a few sips of cold water--that is a recipe for vomit. When it hit my stomach I could feel the naseau coming, and that ringing sound in my ears. Not good. I took a few sips of Gatorade, and that took care of my problem thankfully. I didn't know how I would continue running while carrying a bucket.  Then I hit the road again for the last 4.05 miles. Whew! The temperature was even hotter. And that little hateful dog at the end of the road started with me again. I was ready for it--had me a big stick and used my mean voice. It finally went back home. I couldn't use my intervals for running/walking because my app works about half the time, so I just ran when I felt like it and when I needed a break I stopped and walked, and then started again. I think I like this better than anticipating when that lady in my phone is going to say "Next interval...." I may just trash the app and go back to my regular iPod and Timex Ironman watch, especially if I know how long the route is. Most of my run was in full sun, so thankfully I remembered my visor. It also serves as a sweat band. I was so tempted to sit down on the side of the road in the shade and call Steven or the boys to get me on the golf cart, but I didn't. I persevered and finished that 8 miles. I chanted "I can do ALL things through Christ who strengthens me" over and over and over, especially the last mile. My total time--1 hour 47 minutes for 8 miles. I was also killing two birds with one stone by completing a Virtual 10K!  Not to shabby considering I really slowed my pace down. My average was 13.4 minutes/mile. When I made it to the porch after cooling down, I sat in a rocking chair under a ceiling fan. I drank 2 bottles of Gatorade...one of G2 and one regular diluted with water. I felt sloshy. I stretched, going through my routine like I always do...except I did it under the ceiling fan in my bedroom. I was STARVING! Next time I have to eat a little something before my long run besides Gatorade Energy gels. I tolerate them a lot better than the GU Gel...that stuff leaves an aftertaste like no other. And feels like a brick sitting in the bottom of my stomach. I ate grits for breakfast because that's really all I had.....and now I could eat a giant steak dinner complete w/ baked potato, salad and about 6 yeast rolls. Plus some sweet tea. And dessert. But, I won't! I'll try greek yogurt with an apple and see if that settles my stomach a little bit.  My legs are still jello-y but I've got to get up and move so I don't get "stove-up" as our Nanny used to call it! Next long run day I will either be on a treadmill in air conditioning or I will start earlier so the heat doesn't zap me. Now I am having a bad cough....feels like bronchitis coming on. Gotta get more Mucinex. My shower is calling....

First Week of Summer and the Living Ain't Easy

I registered for a virtual 5K....thanks to Running, Loving, Living: The road to my dreams........The lure of the prize gets me excited, like I found a BOGO free shoe sale.Toni has a lot of sponsors and prizes for this race, so I am hoping to get lucky. Since I was running without my partner tonight I decided this would be the night to beat my current 5K time. It wasn't. First of all, I ran a route that I love to hate....it is gravel with something poured over it to call it "paved". The road is graded diagonally for a good distance, and then there are a few tiny hills...to drive over them you wouldn't even notice, but when Moe and Joe are taking you over them, well, that is a different feeling entirely. You can feel it in your shins before you even get started. The incline burns, and it sort of lasts. Not to mention that incline gets you out of breath...which today isn't so hard because I haven't been taking my Allegra and I've had some sinus issues, and it's gone straight to my chest, which has been tight and stinging today. I started back with Allegra and have take Mucinex D to help. I have drank so much water I feel like a camel's hump. I am praying earnestly to ask that I not get bronchitis again. I have to remember never to be without allergy meds.

I started my run. My new Brooks Ghost shoes are like running on the best track known to man. I am able to keep my form better and my feet don't hurt thanks to these shoes. The first mile wasn't bad, the second mile was okay, and by the third mile I looked and felt as if I had just stepped out of a Turkish bath. Humid does not describe the weather, and hot doesn't do it justice.....I would say it was more like an inferno. And the gnats! There must have been a high birth rate for gnats this year. I am thankful that the horseflies and deer flies bothered some other living, breathing thing. As I reached my turn-a-round point, I spied a NEW dog in the driveway of a house.........and it looked like a pit bull. It was lying there not moving, which is what I wish I was doing at that moment, but my heart began to race faster than it already was. I just imagined as I turned around with my back to the dog that he would turn Kujo and attack. Thankfully, the scene that played out in my head didn't happen. I was trying to figure out how I would climb on top of the nearest mailbox, and THAT wasn't going to be pretty. I pressed on, thinking how great some of the prizes for this 5K would be, like the headband to keep sweat from dripping in my eyes, or the cute skirt I could run in. I did use my intervals to incorporate a few walk breaks, because I am still not at the point I can run an entire 3.1 miles. I'm not going to stress, however, because these few little walk breaks tremendously help my knees, hips, and back and keep me from being totally winded by the end of my run. Also, Runkeeper was acting up. It is disappointing when you pay money for something and it works half the time. SOMEONE needs to get those satellites straight so my GPS will log me on the map without manually having to start and stop the app to get it to update to the correct distance. I'm going to blame that on losing some precious seconds for this run.

The very best facet of a virtual 5K is the fact that you are not competing against anyone, except yourself. I'm my own worst enemy, and my toughest competitor.  I don't need to race against anyone, but it's kind of hard to have that mentality when you are in a crowd at the starting line and the adrenaline starts pumping, or you have some other runner breathing down your neck and you know it is their entire goal, no matter if they have a heart attack or what, to beat you. One of my coaches said a little "friendly" competition is good, and I agree, but only if it is really "friendly". I prefer the ME vs. ME race, and even though I didn't beat my current time, I can live with that. I have dropped another clothing size and can enjoy some of my favorite frocks that I haven't worn in years.  My husband was very impressed with me, and I know it's because 17 years ago when we married and tried to run and I couldn't even make it to the next mailbox, he had given up any hope of an ounce of athleticism from me.

Here's looking forward to a flat stretch of road and a cool morning...........

Virtual Running

Virtual races--I love them!!!! I signed up for my very first one through Running, Loving, and Living: the road to my dreams.  Find the site:  http://www.runninglovingliving.com/
You will also find a Facebook page by the same name. Please head on over for a visit and tell Toni I sent you!!!
You can still sign up until June 25. There is a great line up of prizes! It's not too late. What a great way to begin summer by starting it with a run!

I am Professor Runs-A-Lot

On Father's Day, since my Daddy is in Heaven, I have to write about the most wonderful Daddy that is in my life, and that would be my husband Steven. This post is dedicated to you, Seabiscuit!!!!

I almost fainted, but Steven decided to talk about running and it was NOT in response to a conversation initiated by me! He said he just didn't understand how you could run with a short stride. I told him it could indeed be done, that I was master of the short stride. She-who-has-long-legs has a short stride. I told him if I could do it then I knew he could. I told him to come out in the backyard to a grassy spot with no stickers so we could run barefoot(this is a trick I learned from my friend the Running Whisperer, and that is another blog post.....) My oldest son, loving to watch this running lesson, said "Yeah, Professor Runs-A-Lot, do it!"  I'm not sure why people in the South have to have a nickname for everything, but we do, and this was mine for the moment. We get started, and I told him for me the best way to keep your stride short is to match the short stride of the person you are running with. My running buddy is shorter than me with shorter legs and she has a great short stride, so to get my own stride right I started making my legs/feet move when hers did, and VOILA, there's your short stride. We ran back and forth in the grass, and he matched me stride for stride, and he said "OK, I've got it!" I wanted a ray of light to fall from the sky on me and that music to play, like when Chevy Chase and his family found THE perfect Christmas tree in National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation.  I basked in the moment that I taught Steven how to do something that he originally couldn't do. What a great feeling. It will never happen again probably so I try and relive this feeling a lot!!!!!

It was time for shoes. We put them on and started again. It didn't work so well. His leg cramped again between his calf and his Achilles tendon. And that was the end of my running fun for the day. I told him he needed to get fitted for running shoes because his Nike Air Max are way too cushiony. He said it wasn't the shoes and shoes aren't that important anyway....and boy is he wrong about that. I feel another class from Professor Runs-A-Lot coming.....he'll get this, or I should say he can make a few minor adjustments so his body will cooperate, and we will make beautiful runs together!!! I think he has decided to ride a bike instead, but he hasn't totally given up with the running.


Happy Father's Day Steven! Thank you for supporting me as I miss dinner time a lot to run, and as I mess up our Saturday morning talks to run, as laundry lays in our bedroom floor piled up to the dresser so I can run, and listening to me talk about running and sometimes responding as if you are interested. I could not take this middle-aged marathon journey without your never-ending support. And for not getting mad when I have to buy new running shoes. Muah!!!!!!

Moe and Joe......Who are they?

When I got married, I  was introduced to new vocabulary not previously part of my lexicon. My husband, Steven, says things like "tighter than Dick's hatband" and "nervous as a cat in a room full of rocking chairs", along with "don't know him from Adam" and "quiet as a church mouse", and "down like four flat tires" and "useless as teats on a bohog" (my personal favorite, cause you can't get any more useless than THAT!) My daddy said some crazy things, but nothing like I heard from Steven. Over the years, these phrases have crept into usage, and I have a fondness for them because being Southern means sprinkling some of these in your speech here and there for a humorous effect.

In the early months of our marriage, he baled hay with his uncle every night and weekend, and he was going to walk to the baling spot for that day. I didn't realize this, because being from the city, I always rode in something motorized to get where I was going, even if it wasn't a far distance.  I asked him how he was going to get there, and he said "Moe and Joe".  I laughed, snorted actually, and said "I can't believe you've given names to your vehicles!" and he said, with a crazy look like I must be uneducated, "Moe and Joe are your feet!" Well, I believed I had heard it all! In co-habitating with him now for almost 17,  going on 18 years, I have also started calling my feet Moe and Joe.

What does this have to do with running, you might be wondering.....if I have learned one thing since December 5 when I began this marathon journey, it is that you MUST take care of your feet, uh, I mean Moe and Joe! In February, right before I was to run in my first 5K, I broke the toe right next to my little toe on my right foot in not one, but two places. Let me explain how this happened, so that you don't make the same mistake.  My mother-in-law, my mama, and I had purchased Steven a flat screen television for our bedroom because our current model had a screen about the size of a shoe box and it was very hard to see from our bed. Also, it made a popping sound and cut out about half of what was being said....which made it very hard to understand our favorite TV shows, like Storage Wars, Criminal Minds (which we are such  great detectives we didn't really need to hear everything because we always have it figured out after 30 minutes have passed), Swamp People, and I can't leave out Gun Smoke!!  Steven moved the old television and put it on the floor by MY side of the bed, saying he and Ford would take it upstairs so a game system could be connected to it. Well, several weeks later, it was still laying there. Because I started drinking so much water, I had to get up in the middle of the night most nights to go to the restroom. On this particular night, as I hopped up out of the bed, I forgot about the television and rammed my toe underneath it. I have never felt pain as searing as this....I just knew my entire foot was cracked. I tried to walk it out, and the pain was moving up my leg. I put ice on it and tried to go back to sleep, and I did, but fitfully. The next morning my foot looked like a grape Ring Pop. It was swollen and sore. I could hardly put weight on it.  As most runners know, this is devastation.....I made an appointment with the orthopedic doctor. He x-rayed it and told me that it was broken in two places. He told me to stay off of it for two weeks. TWO WEEKS means 6 running sessions....I would lose 6 runs. How far behind would that put me to run in a 5K????? I was totally and completely bummed. I had put so much time and effort into training.

You might not know this, but I am extremely strong-willed. I think James Dobson had me in mind when he authored "The Strong-Willed Child" (which I have read, by the way, because I birthed two strong-willed children and married one!) I decided two weeks was too much, so I took off one week. ONE.  After that week I started walking with my Mama up and down the road. Then I started slowly running from one road sign to the next mailbox, and I gradually built up my distance. I was so proud. I sang "I Did it My Way" by Elvis. I was not as smart as I would like to think, though. I have suffered for not waiting, because in my oppositional defiant state, I developed a crazy gait, because I had to run on the inside of my foot so the outside, where my broken toe was located, would not touch the ground and hurt, This put strain on my lower back, hip, and  upper leg, which is part of the reason I had such pain in those three areas that radiated down into my knee and ankle.  My advice to you:  DO NOT run with broken toes for this very reason. You can develop a weird running form that can cause more harm than good.

Also, check your bedroom and bathroom for any toe breaking obstacles. You never know when you might have to wake up in the night and rush somewhere hurriedly and your feet or toes will come into contact with said objects and injure you. This is one simple, proactive step you can take to limit injury. Also, if you are cleaning out closets or rooms, wear tennis shoes while you do it to protect your feet from falling objects. Don't put heavy things into cabinets where they can roll out onto your feet. Put those items down low. If you are a Miss Grace, like me, and trip over everything, take a few minutes to put your stuff up instead of leaving it in the closet floor. Also, don't wear yoga or other bell-bottomish type pants while you are working in your house. Once, when rising from a seated position, my big toe got caught in the opposite leg of my yoga pants, and down I went. A broken foot was the consequence.  The same thing happened as I was rushing down the stairs one time, and I ended up in a heap at the bottom crying. Make your husband move that large weight bar with huge plates on the ends that is also rusty in the garage. That's an accident waiting to happen.

Last of all, when you are drying your hair, wear steel-toed boots, even if they belong to your husband and they swallow your feet. Let me explain why. I was drying my hair the other night, and I have to section it off
 so I can get it straight. I get tired of turning the dryer off and on, so I just leave it on and lay it on the counter while I comb another section and clip up another. Usually that works fine. Well, on this night, the dryer vibrated itself off of the counter and slammed into the top of my left foot. Pain city!!!! It left an indention in my second toe on the left foot. I sat in the floor and cried. I couldn't even touch it. I prayed and prayed for God to not let me have another broken bone. I was able to pull myself to a standing position....and I tried a little jog back and forth in the bathroom, and what a blessing! It was OK. I thanked God! Whew! That was close. That's when I realized that if you are good to Moe and Joe, they will return the favor. Take care of those tootsies, or else you'll be a spectator instead of a participator.

I hope none of this careless, clumsy, clueless stuff happens to you, and some of it is probably unbelievable. Just know if it CAN happen, it WILL happen, at least to me!!!!

P.S. I would like to thank Ronnie, Bobby, Ricky, and Mike for their help in the introduction of this blog post. (Seriously, thanks goes to SW, RB, MF, and DW) When I said their names it sounded like  part of the Candy Girl song by New Edition where they say their names---Ronnie, Bobby, Ricky, and Mike!!!!!

Sitis Happens (as in burSITIS)

When I started to run, I was thrilled at the benefits~losing weight, feeling better, quality sleep, mood enhancement, and my clothes fit better. I had absolutely no idea that doing something healthy would bring about injuries that would prevent me from participating and would force me to plan Plan B! Isn't that just like life? Obstacles present themselves, and an alternative must be found to keep moving forward. In fact, I feel as if I have been running an obstacle course as I have navigated the difficulties of a out of shape body not ready to run. My injury list sounds like one for a senior citizen or perhaps a nursing home patient. Maybe my body age is really that old--but I won't be getting on Wii Fit to find out. **Disclaimer** I am not a medical professional, although sometimes I play nurse when my children or husband need nursing. I am not recommending any certain remedies to anyone, only sharing my personal experience!

  After completing Week 6 of Running Mate's 5K101 training program, my running buddies and I were looking ahead to week 7, where you continually run for 20 minutes. Coach C told us we were almost at 3 miles! We were thrilled--this is what we had been working so hard for! Because we were awesome, we decided not to complete Week 7 and 8--we were THAT close to our goal, why not skip ahead and do it??? I remember that run clearly--once we passed the 20 minute mark I thought my legs would disjoint from the hips. Sort of like the action figures kids tear up by pulling the legs off, and you can see the rubber band that hooks the torso to the legs.... My muscles were burning and my toes were completely numb. Cardio-wise I was perfectly fine--no "catches" in my side, no chest burning, no huffing and puffing. I kept repeating "God, make my legs strong, God make my knees strong, God make my hips strong" because I had been reading the Bible the night before and Nehemiah 6:9 jumped off the page at me. It says: 

For they all made us afraid, saying, Their hands shall be weakened from the work, that it be not done. Now therefore, O God, strengthen my hands.

Nehemiah was rebuilding the temple, and he navigated an obstacle course of people, problems, and anything else Satan could send to stop him from finishing what he had been called to do.He was at wits' end, so he prayed this prayer--Strengthen my hands. I know as horrible as I felt during that run that my prayer was answered and I finished those 3 miles. If I had been relying on myself and my ability I would have stayed in the bed that morning! My running buddy said that she kept repeating "I can do ALL things through Christ who strengthens me!" (Philippians 4:13) And that is how we made it--the power of prayer!

Since we made this milestone, we decided to run 3 miles every run. And then I decided that if 3 days were average for running, then 4 would be even better!  I could hear Chariots of Fire theme music! Reality hits--it was a BAD idea. Our first mistake was getting ahead of our training plan. Our second mistake was changing our focus from minutes to miles. Beginning runners--no matter how badly you want to increase your mileage, DON'T! 7 weeks into running is not enough to start trying to run longer distances.  As I continued running 3 miles, I noticed the bone below my knee hurting, in fact it hurt so much that it was sore to the touch.  On one run I could only make it to the end of my road (0.8 miles) and then I started hobbling. I  researched the Internet and I came across a Google image of a man touching his leg in the same spot mine was hurting. 

Click, click....I diagnosed myself. Per anserine bursitis. I was shocked--only senior citizens or nursing home patients get bursitis. I read the treatment for this condition--take time off! Two weeks! I started an argument with myself.

"Time off? Are you serious?"
"You have to...it is the only way to get better--rest."
"Rest isn't going to help me run my first 5K."
"Maybe you can't run it."
"Maybe I will punch you in your face!" 

I decided since I was going to inflict bodily harm on myself, I needed to stop this senseless dialogue.  I am a person of action, so I made an appointment with the orthopedic doctor and decided he could tell me something specific  and I wouldn't have to keep guessing. He diagnosed me with per anserine bursitis. I told him time off wasn't an option. He said he could give me a cortisone shot, which I gladly took. It didn't hurt at all, and by the time I went to bed that night, my pain was gone. I did take off the rest of that week, except for walking. The doctor also recommended buying new running shoes--I was still running in the old pair from several years ago. Injury one--done! Maybe this would be all I would encounter, and if it was, well, injuries weren't impossible!

If I could give just one piece of advice to someone wanting to run, it is don't overdo it. Your body needs time to adjust to the strains of running. Your lungs are always ahead of your joints, so don't push yourself to go farther and faster even if you feel like "I got this."  If you are doing a C25K or 5K101 program, do what it says when it says for you to...these people that develop these are EXPERTS. Listen to them. I would love to hear from any of you about your first running injury!

More DON'Ts when running...........read and believe!

DON'T #3:  When someone who lives close to you starts a conversation with "I have a game camera and we saw (insert name of wild animal with sharp teeth here), say STOP! Actually, this person didn't start the conversation with me, but with my mother-in-law. She let me know a bear, or what looked like a bear, was spotted on the game camera. I do know some bears have been sighted in this area. I know there have been rumors of panthers and stray golf carts riding up beside houses and strange trucks pulling up in driveways in the middle of the night. Coyotes have been sighted, wild boars have been shot, and snakes run over. Big Foot has also been sighted in this area. Dangers lurk everywhere, but don't listen when someone points them out to you or else you will never leave the house. I refuse to be trapped by fears of being ripped apart by a wild animal.

DON'T #4:  Don't look at roadkill when you run. I had to run alone on my long run this week, which meant I had to run on asphalt. One driveway over I saw something dead in the road. It looked kind of large to be a cat.  I thought, "Whatever that is, I hope it doesn't have a friend."  I continued on, because in training for a half-marathon I just can't stop! I have limited weeks to get ready. I didn't think about the roadkill until this week.   At supper with my aunt and uncle we were talking about a "stoe-ry" that has been told, and I'm not sure how exaggerated it is, about this family on the next road that bred a bobcat with their female cat just to see what would happen. Steven  somehow ended up with one of these offspring, and it was bigger than a regular cat...taller than a beagle is what I've been told. Lucky was this cat's name, and Steven says it looked like a bobcat with pointed ears and facial features.  Legend goes this was the baddest bunch of cats around.  When they mentioned "bobcat" I asked them if they knew if a bobcat had been ran over around here lately and I explained about what I had seen in the road.  They confirmed what I worried about...IT WAS A BOBCAT. Probably left over from this bad bunch of hybrids from years ago......I wish I had never looked.

DON'T #5:  Don't run in the city. It has to be so boring.  I've never run "in town," which is what us country folks call the nearest town where we go to grocery shop, pay bills, and go to school, so I really shouldn't make this judgement.  In contemplating running "in town," I just can't imagine not looking for snakes, or for the trails they leave in the dirt. I don't know how anyone could run without playing ninja and trying to kill deer flies or horseflies.  And this would never happen "in town"....running by a pile of hog entrails someone dumped out in the woods, and all of a sudden huge vultures swoop around wanting to eat them at the same time you are running by. All I could think of was the horror movie "The Birds" and of course this happens right next to the scary woods. Not cool.  If you've never been up close and personal with vultures, they are GIGANTIC and strong--it was amazing the sound their wings made as they flapped in the wind. I imagined one knocking me out and me being roadkill. Where is Jack Hanna when you need him?????

Hopefully this completed list of DON'Ts helps you as you begin to run. If I have any more crazy experiences, and I'm sure I will, I will share them with you so you can be prepared for anything!

What NOT to do when you run!!!!!!!!!

I was brainstorming blog topics today while I was supposed to be finishing some work--isn't it amazing how you always have your best ideas when you should be doing something else? Like sleeping! That's why I keep pen and paper by my bed so I can remember these flashes I have!

One topic I thought of that might help others that are beginning to run is a list of DON'TS........Lots of people will tell you the DOs...but they kindly leave out the DON'TS. Then something crazy happens and you think "Why in the heck didn't they tell me about this!" I don't want to be that person that doesn't inform you of all possible scenarios. You need to be prepared for what you might encounter OUT THERE....The road can be cruel! (Note to Grammar Gurus--I researched how to spell dos and don'ts....and even the experts agree it looks funny--so while it doesn't look right, it is!!!)

DON"T #1--Don't wave at people that drive by while you are running, especially if you are on a rural isolated wooded dirt road. The person(s) in the car will slam on brakes. You see the taillights turn a glowing red. You panic. You've seen this on Criminal Minds. And even though you are with a running buddy, your heart skips a beat. And your mother's words ring in your head--"Did you buy Jogger's Mace?" They reverse until they stop right beside you. They ask, "Are you exercising?" Even though I can hardly breathe I want to scream, "NO WAY dude! We just love to dress in compression wear on a hot humid day and get our shoes dusty all while getting attacked by deer flies!" While you are thinking this, they continue to ask "Or were you flagging me down? Did you need something?" My friend has enough wherewithal to say "No, we are running." The car drives on it's merry way. I did want to ask if they had some G2 and Deep Woods Off.  I immediately thank God for keeping us safe. I will not be throwing my hand up again--call me stuck-up or hoity toity. That's fine with me.

DON'T #2--No matter how fat you feel, and no matter if you got your run on or not, don't run at night with your mama following you in her car. One freezing cold night, I was depressed because I missed my scheduled run. I had  to stay after school for professional development and it was almost 6:00 pm  before I arrived at home, and it was pitch black dark outside. My sweet mama brought pizza to us for supper, and she knew how disappointed I was. I asked Steven to go with me in the golf cart, but he is like a grandpa and he is so cold natured that he said he would never make it out in the weather and what was I thinking? My hero, my mama, said, "Well, I guess I can drive right behind you in the car. That will light your way and if you see something scary you can hop in!" I thought this was a great idea. I can't believe she would enjoy driving 1  mile per hour for 40 minutes, but mothers will do anything for their children. Off we go. I'm having a great run, and a van drives by. Then it turns around and drives by again. My mama says "Something is not right...let's go home." I say, "No, they are just trying to figure out what we are doing." They drive by super slow...and my heart skips a beat. I figure once they look closely and see me with a red fleece exercise pullover on and running shoes, and I have wires going into my ears from my iPod, and I'm not in panic mode or certainly running like I am being chased, they will go away. WRONG. So, I jump into the back seat like a vigilante. We drive a little bit closer to my house, and I see them drive out of sight. I get out of the car to try again. HERE THEY COME! I jump into the backseat again, and we drive up the hill beside my mother-in-law's house because we are frightened to death. I beat on her door, and explain what is going on. The van stops at the end of her driveway and I think, "This is it. We're goners. " Finally they drive off. I'm very angry that I didn't get to finish my run. Once I relay the story to Steven, he knows exactly who it is--someone from our church. Why didn't they roll down the window and ask if I was okay? I would have explained. I talked to my cousin about it and she handled the situation for me because her father is good friends with this caring, concerned citizen. I don't think this van will stalk me ever again. Doesn't really matter, because I'll never run in front of my mama's car!

Stay tuned for DON'Ts #3 and #4 tomorrow..................If you have a "don't" I'd love for you to share it with me!

Run and Be Cute

Workout clothes--I love them! When I go to Old Navy and nothing looks right, I can still come out of there with some exercise duds that are color coordinated, right down to the compression socks. As I was checking Facebook this morning, I came across this fabulous giveaway from Run Diva Mom! Please visit her page on Facebook and "like" it! Also, visit the Ruffles with Love Facebook page and tell them RDM sent you. If you go to the Run Diva Mom blog, you can leave comments and be entered for a prize--a great tank to go running in! My favorite says "Beastmode"! Ruffles With Love also has an ETSY site you can order from. Who doesn't want to go running with a bow on their shirt--these are adorable and will keep you looking fashionable as you sweat like a pig!!!http://www.etsy.com/shop/RufflesWithLove