16 and Build'n

If it was a snake, it would've bit me!

I thought this was a sleek, black, shiny, long snake as I was running up to it. Luckily it was just a trick stick.

That's what happens when you're out running for two and a half hours! Ya start see'n things! Actually, it was a relatively easy run that I really enjoyed. My legs took a couple miles to warm up and then at six, I got distracted and my foot caught a root. BAM! I was eating dirt. Ugh. I get so pissed off at myself for doing that. My knee HURT too. Just ached for the next three to four miles. Then the pain disappeared for the rest of the run. Whew!
At mile eight I stopped off at the car to wipe up the dirt and scratches a bit, top off my Nathan and grab a little food. I had a Reed's Ginger Chew on the first loop and coconut water. Even though I wasn't exactly hungry, I wanted to start playing with eating more solid foods. The most I've done so far I think is to eat an all natural, organic fruit leather in mango, Justin's Almond Butter & Maple Syrup, and Chocolate #9 Agave Energy Gel. Which has all worked out great. This time I ate a RAW Organic Food Bar in Chocolate Chip (Ingredients: Organic Cashew Butter, Organic Dates, Organic Agave Nectar, Organic Brown Rice Protein, Organic Dark Chocolate Chips (Organic Evaporated Cane Juice, Organic Chocolate Liquor, Organic Cocoa Butter, Non-GMO Soy Lecithin), Quinoa, Flax). I cut the bar up in tiny, bite sized pieces and stored them in a snack baggie. This worked out okay although the baggy was kinda hard to stuff into and pull out of my already-used chest pocket. I really need a smaller bag. But, the bite sized pieces were perfect for eating slowly. I'm finding so far that I can eat while running, but I have to do it slowly over a mile or more. I eat a little and drink a few sips, then as soon as I can, do it again. Maybe this is good anyways for a constant supply of energy while requesting my stomach to work a little at a time.
Otherwise, nothing new out there - just logged the miles, felt great and went home. :)

Current Inspiration: Amy Palmiero-Winters and Jan Brett

Today I went back out to the Sandrat trails for a mid-week run during perfect weather. 80 and breezy, in the shade almost the whole way.

I was facing the usual neighborhood running and realized I had the time today, I should freaking run where I'll be happy. A lot of people had the same idea as it got pretty busy on the return trail of my five miler.

Although it took me some time to warm up, my run felt good, the leg tweaks I had been having silenced, the trail felt smooth and I just rolled on. It's funny how you can feel so creaky and rusty beginning a run for it all to just start loosening up into a nice flow. I had been reading a profile on Jan Brett, author and Boston finisher, in Runner's World and she said, "The first mile of every run I always get this feeling that I'm not a runner and that this is all a joke." Ha-ha. That's me until later on in the week when I realize that running for 2 and 3 hours at a time probably means you are a runner. Even though I second guess all those hours out there wondering if it wasn't hard enough, fast enough, if I should have been on a different terrain, upset over a leg or knee ache, etc. Scared that my ultra marathon goal race will never happen. Maybe if I even get into the race, if I don't walk too much, if I'm not last, if I finish.... maybe I'll be a runner then. :)

I came out of the forest briefly where the trees part and a breeze came over me, the sun shone and the tall grass whipped back and forth. I just felt glad to be right in that spot at that very moment. Today running felt good. It got me thinking about Amy Palmiero-Winters and how she described her amputee as a challenge like any other. Running challenges can come in many forms, although I'd say hers is up there and her statement is very modest for what she has overcome! But I love it all the same, recognizing that not every run is a good run, not every day is a good day to run, not every body is up to running, and not every moment out there feels right.

But today, it felt right and everything showed up that needed to show up and lay down a weekday run.

Current Inspiration:
Amy Palmiero-Winters, U.S. Track Team
Link: USAToday article.

Jan Brett
Children's Book Author/Illustrator and Boston finisher (7 times)
Link: Website

Review: Black Diamond "Cosmo" Headlamp

Wet earth, my foggy breath, head light burning, damp clods of grass looking like frogs, twigs looking like snakes, still night air... I'm night running.

I had planned to run with the girls out on the Sandrat trails today but it's been raining for about 24 hours. At the risk of sounding like a wimp, I honestly didn't feel like dealing with the mud. I need to run 14 miles Saturday so getting my shoes completely muddy out there tonight, and then having to wash them out - they'd never be dry in time to do my mileage. Sometimes I can set them out in a hot sun and they might be ready in a little over a day - but it's supposed to rain a lot in the next 3 days so that's not happening. I actually don't even know when I'm going to get the 14 in but as soon as there's a break in the weather, I'm going to be out there laying it down.

I had already resigned to the fact that I just wouldn't get a run in today. I kept thinking however that I hadn't run since my Monday ...and that was eating at me a bit. I want to keep building my base miles. Running 4 miles is pretty much a breeze these days and I'd like to push it to where 8 miles feels easy. It already is very, very doable and on flat surfaces it is a pretty easy run. But, I can't wait for the day it feels just as easy as 4.

I went outside to let the dog out and realized it had stopped raining. The temperature had lifted a little as warm air infiltrated the cool. Out there I decided it'd be a great night to test my headlamp. I had picked it up last year but didn't do any races that started in the dark. I definitely had some training runs that ended in the dark unplanned but never had the headlamp on me.

I ran on city streets so the street lamps lit my way fairly well. But on the darker streets I was able to see just how well the Black Diamond Cosmo lit up the pavement. I don't have anything to compare it to but I believe this will be good enough for my purposes. Certainly, it's a lot less Blair Witch Project (read: jumpy) than holding a flashlight. The headlamp is just a lot smoother and more convenient than holding one more thing in your hands.

The Black Diamond Cosmo is also super light. I have tried out an electrician's head lamp before which is a bit bigger (as well as older) and the Diamond has definitely done a good job minimizing the weight. I would forget that I even had it on. It straps very snugly to my head and didn't move as I worked up a pretty good sweat. There are three settings: Hold to turn on (3 LED lights), push again to dim, push again to flash/blink and hold to turn off. The rubber button for these settings is fairly large, on top of the device, and I was able to access those settings easily while on the move. For being so powerful, the light is pretty compact and I can see taking it off when I don't need it and stowing it in my Nathan Intensity side mesh pockets or in the back, larger zip pocket.

As for the cons, I noticed two minor ones toward the 45 minute mark of my 4 mile run. I felt like it kind of made me itch. I probably have sensitive skin however and maybe having something strapped to my sweating skin was a little irritating. I don't know, but I feel like it was pretty minor. Secondly however, I noticed I had a headache toward the end of the run. I have no idea if this is due to the tightness of the strap, the moving light I'm constantly following or if it's completely unrelated. The pollen count has been astronomical lately - but it had just rained, and I think that's supposed to suppress environmental allergies isn't it? But still, it will take a few night runs to find out if the headache is related to the headlamp. And if it is an issue of following a shinning light in the dark, no headlamp is really going to fix that for me. I would say though, if I have to wear it for more than an hour, it could be more than a minor issue. We'll see though - maybe it'll just take some practice!

Overall, I would recommend it!

Black Diamond "Cosmo"

• Retail: $29.95
• 32 meters max light distance
• 3 LED lights
• High and low beams plus strobe signal light
• Water-resistant
• Uses three AAA batteries

Review: Nathan Quickdraw Plus and Adrenaline 10

Ran a 55 minute loop around the airfield today. It felt quick and very easy. I got a chance to test out two new pieces of gear as well: 1.) Nathan Quickdraw Plus Handheld and 2.) Brooks Adrenaline 10.

I tried a few hand held bottles over the past couple weeks but don't remember all of their names. I was inclined to buy the Nathan because I am so happy with my hydration pack. They test their products out on elite runners and although they aren't perfect in design, I feel like their products generally are well made. This was definitely true for the Quickdraw Plus. It fits like a glove. When you put your fingers through the strap, it just fits and stays. There is no effort to grasp the bottle at all so you don't feel like you are carrying weight at your hands. A bottle wouldn't necessarily slow you down, but mentally, I was always adverse to carrying one because I thought it would at least feel heavy enough to be a burden. I have no idea why, but it just doesn't feel cumbersome or weighty in your hands. I did have a little trouble with the screw on lid. After filling it with water, it never seemed torqued down tight enough. I couldn't tell if there was water spillage from the cap or if it was coming out the top of the nozzle or just that it was wet from being filled. I think this worked out okay though. When I started running some water was coming out but I hadn't pushed down the nozzle stopper. So that was my bad - but duly noted that you can't just throw the bottle around w/out plugging it back up. I don't think the cap not screwing down was really a problem either - - and maybe it just looks like it's not completely tight, I don't know.
Anyhow the strap also has a small pocket for keys and a few cards and /or energy gel. I didn't have to put anything in it so I'll have to do a short review when it's loaded up with stuff.

The second thing I picked up were some new shoes. I've been running in Brooks Adrenaline's since 2004 with only one deviation to Saucony that was a mistake by Garry Gribble's Running Sports. (I have a very narrow AA foot and I guess Saucony is a fairly wide shoe.) I have exclusively bought my shoes from Elite Feet otherwise and recommend them to everyone I can.
I was a little worried about the 10 because I've read that there have been a few changes in this model. It felt the same as previous versions when I slipped it on however.

Running in it for the first time today I felt two tweaks: one in my left ankle and one in my right knee. *brow furrows* I was running on the right side of a slightly sloping dirt road however so at the very end of my run, when the tweaks started letting me know something wasn't working, I moved over to the middle. I hope this was the problem. The only other thing that it could be was that I used an old insert in my new shoes. Since Elite Feet was closed, I couldn't buy my inserts because Gary Gribble's doesn't carry them. I might run in the shoes once more on a different terrain before going and getting a new insert at Elite Feet.... even if that is the issue, it's just a $20 solution. Otherwise, the feet felt fine I think.

One other issue that is still bugging me is that I'm getting a little skin irritation on my outer toes even during short runs like this one. Mainly my left foot. I'm wearing those thin drymax socks and a little disappointed in them still. I really wish I could get ahold of the thicker trail version. The skin issue turns to blisters at anything over 10 miles and especially on the trails in the mud. So in a race, I imagine I'd be in for a real problem. And the most irritating thing is that I've never had a blister problem before! I guess that's what training is for though - working out all of these problemos!

Homes Tour

Image: wikipedia

Today I planned to do 6-8 miles as a low mileage week between 12 (which turned out to be 11) miles last weekend and 14 miles next weekend. My legs were still a little sore and cranky from my trail run this week, so I decided to run the miles out at the flat Army airfield.

The first loop around, 4.5 miles-ish, went fairly easily and fast. That's one good piece of news. Every time I run a loop or two out there now it feels relatively easy. I think grass and trail running is really strengthening my legs and building my cardiovascular health as well.

When I came around from the loop, I saw some Army tents and soldiers sitting out in front of them. Mostly, everything looked dark inside the tents and I couldn't make anything out. There were also a few personal vehicles around the tents as well. My first thought was that it might be some kind of training but secondly I thought it might be a dragoon encampment! Dragoons are re-enactors who dress in 1840's uniform and educate people on what it was like living and working in a frontier fort. They usually have horses, tents, shoot cannons, as well as perform ceremonies (flag raising/lowering) and march. There are women as well who demonstrate what it was like to live and travel as an Army wife. I've heard they also have balls with full 1800s gowns and dress uniforms. Anyhow, when I saw them I decided to run the street nearest to them and check it out. Unfortunately, when I ran by, it was just far enough where I still couldn't make out what they were doing and it's not in the spot they usually perform. I didn't want to run by if it was a real training exercise so I took the road that led away and up to the old disciplinary barracks... home to the military prisoners for over a hundred and forty years.

I ran past some horses behind the DB and guiltily snapped a pic (it can be illegal to take photos on a military base). They always have horses on base but it had nothing to do with Cavalry anymore... I think they usually belong to families and even civilians. Past the horses I kept taken on the hill that leads up to the prison. It used to be called "the castle" and was built by it's own prisoners in 1875. A new facility has been built recently, but it still felt wrong to be running up along side the huge walls and guard towers. At one point I ran past the huge doors/gates that were open and led into some sort of yard inside the walls. I wanted to take a picture so bad but didn't.... So just think Shawshank Redemption and you'll pretty much get the picture not taken.

Once I got up past the DB and back onto the main post roads, I headed for the old housing. It turns out that day they were having the annual Homes Tour which features structures from the 1880-1890s. People pay to go inside homes and see the architecture and collections... in the fall they do an awesome history and ghost tour as well.

I passed the homes, wound around to the National Cemetary (c. 1844) and then pass the golf course and back to the main road for the last 1.5 mile back to the airfield. I had filled my hydration pack up with 50ml of coconut water and plain electrolyte water from Whole Foods. I ran out sometime in mile 6 so next time, if it's warm out at all, I need more than 50ml for a 1.5 hr run.

Lots of people were out walking in nice clothes for the Home Tour. I think I was attracting lots of stares passing them by at mile 6, 7 and 8 with my sun-pinked skin, hydration pack and huffing and puffing. Hey, I was just taking the tour as well... at a little faster pace!!

If I can't go to the beach, I'd rather be here

Ran the Hunt Lodge Valley trails on base today! I hadn't been to the deer trails since my hunting scare last season. It hadn't rained in days so I wanted to find out if the area had dried out, which it had for the most part. Except when the trail was muddy, it was a pit! It was also slow going over some of the dried mud because they were deeply rutted from hunting boots traipsing through this snowy winter.


I lost the trail twice on my short run but for the most part the path is easy to follow. After about 1.5 miles in you start to see quite a few trails crisscrossing. I have only stayed on the main path so I'm not sure how far the off-shoots go. It's really unfortunate that the Post doesn't assign a unit to maintain the trail system like they do at Fort Rucker. With all the PT that is required of the soldiers, you'd think it'd be an excellent place for them to get in shape. Although, I know they aren't really concerned about distance as much as speed.



Speaking of distance, I picked up an awesome GIS map from Santa Fe Bike Trails shop in Leavenworth. It's a satellite view of the West side of Post and has the trails marked very clearly. There looks to be quite a lot of miles out to explore!

A Slow 10

After a night where I didn't get to sleep on time, got woken up at 2am, then continuously woken up every hour due to snoring, I suprisingly got up to the alarm buzzing. 5:15am and something was already going right.

I got down to the Parcours Lake Trail and ended up parking in a new area at the trailhead. This allowed me quick access to my car between laps - and it was going to take a lot of laps. I planned to loop twice, stopping at the car every two and a half miles. This scheme worked out beautifully - I was able to switch Powerade zero for water, pick up 2-3 Shot Bloks and nibble at my Lara (raw) Bar as I was hungry.

The weather stayed on the cool side of warm/hot until about 9am when the sun was looking high in the sky already and feeling hot. Luckily, by that time I was 8 miles into my run and the last loop wasn't affected much due to being under tree canopy.

This was my first run using the Garmin Forerunner 405. I was pleasantly suprised that the GPS worked so well through the forest. My old Timex Ironman would always lose connection repeatedly and guesstimate my course. I had my distance, pace, heart rate, etc all at my finger tips. I checked my heart rate every time I felt the need to walk and found out I was hitting 171-176. This is pretty much my red zone because 185 is my max heart rate. So before I even had this watch I was able to listen to my body enough to slow down... yay me. I also realized that I'm not able to keep pace very well on trails. When I ran paved trails, I was always the person to watch pace and keep it consistant at 12 min/mi. But, on dirt paths, the terrain is inconsistant and your legs really never get used to the rolling earth. I'd go from a 9 or 10 minute pace to a walk and everything inbetween as I ducked under branches, skipped over roots and pinecones, bounded up stair-rocks and half slid down small declines. This is an issue I probably need to tease out - maybe trying to just go slower and stay on pace as much as possible. I think there is an alarm setting where it will let you know if you're off pace -which would probably help train me to be more consistant.

When I got home, my data was uploaded, and I was able to look at the stats: pace (varied), distance (10 mi), lap splits, heart rate, calories (945!), elevation changes and an awesome map of the 10 miles (pictured above). Overall, I'm super happy with this watch. There are a few settings I need to tweak, but otherwise it was easy to use and gave me the info I like to see.

Although I was on technical trails, it took me 2:41 to finish. I ran the Georgetown to Idaho Springs, Colorado in 2:45 in 2004. So that was 3 extra miles and a 1,000ft elevation change, altitude sickness (8500 feet), a bloody nose, and rolling landscape in the same amount of time. So either I was better condidtioned back then, or this was really technical, OR I just had an awesome race buddy back then. Naomi Rademeyer, from Pretoria, South Africa. I think we met about halfway though the race. She told me a bit about her lifestory which included escaping from Africa due to the violence and oppression. She moved to Englewood, CO with her husband and children but had left behind some family - I believe her fathers and brothers. She said in Africa, you can't just sign up for a race, you have to be fast enough to gain entry. And she was full of awesome tips like when going down hill, try to relax your body and run in a controlled fall. I think of her help everytime I'm going down a decent hill now.

Anyhow, I am really confused by my time and actually worried a did a lot more than 10 miles. My 8 mile run took 1 hour 30 minutes. And I had not only driven that distance to check the milage but I also plotted it out online (out and back twice equaled 8 miles). The other thing is that when I run this loop for my week days runs, it usually takes me 50 minutes to go around twice. An hour run for me right now is usually at least 4 miles. I had to loop this baby 8 times with each lap amounting to 1.3 miles. So if that's correct, my mid-week short runs are only about 3 miles since I go around twice. 3 miles in 50 minutes?? Something is off... either this trail is SO technical that I really do go that slow or I'm off in some other way. I need to use my Garmin on a marked trail and test to make sure it's accurate. I know that I only had 25% accuracy on the satelite read. I saw that, and kinda tried to figure this out during my run noticing the time but thought I just couldn't do the math while running. Now, I'm still trying to figure it out and it's not adding up.

Another note of interest.... after my 8 mile run I had some soreness. Really, I had some worries like my heel was tight and felt pulled (esp in the morning) and I had some knots in my calves and I think I had to ice my knee. This time, I did take a quick ice bath (which melted too fast due to the water being too warm) but I don't know if that is the reason or what, but I have NO side effects. The main difference with this run is also the terrain - most of my 10 miles were on soft pine-hay and dirt packed trails. Really cushioned. The 8 miles were done on road and off the side of the road in the grass and gravel. Anyway, going along with my worry about distance and thinking I could have actually done more than 10, doesn't seem right when my legs feel this great. A little tired but no aches. Sooo... ice bath? Pine needle hay terrain? I dunno, but something was working for me during this run.

Obstacles

Today I went back to the obstacle course at Parcours Lake (alligator territory). Tuesday and Wednesday this week I had taken off from running. I walked my dog but otherwise just didn't feel healed up enough from this weekend. I'm showing signs of slow recovery: achey legs, tight heals, feeling tired, etc. I've been taking time off, using an electric massager and taking Ibuprofen when I think about it. I really think that the soreness in my legs is from doing so much off-path running. I run a lot on uneven terrain or in grass and it's just so much more of a beating.
But last night I walked Anouk and my legs felt better walking than they did just sitting around. I thought today I might try a short run and see how they felt. I mean't to run on the Beaver Lake path to give my legs a break but then last minute, turned the car towards Parcours. I set out a little after 9am and found more paths to run this time. I don't think I ran farther though than Monday because I skipped the first stair section of the trail and went staight into the forest. So whatever I skipped there, I probably made up for mid-way on the new paths I found.
I found my way back to the car about 10am. I was sweating something fierce and my legs were again, toast. I'm laying on my bed hours later (after cleaning the house too) and they still feel like dead weight. That trail is just full of jumping around roots, uneven path, rolling small hills where the ground has caved in and you're scrambling up or down moving soil, ... it's a beating!
I probably should have just gone back to that paved path and took it easy.
My plan was to run 6 miles this Saturday - about a day and a half from now. I am going down in milage before hitting 8 or moving up to 10 miles the next week. With how my legs are really slow to recover, I'm thinking that I should wait to run the 6 til Sunday, and even then, run it on a flat, paved course. Then, the next week I probably need to stick to doing 8 again and not push anything.
These are the obstacles I knew would come with just not being made to run. Going against nature - but that's what's fun about it as well. Doing something you are not sure if you can do.

Small Victories

About 6:00 this morning, I get up, get dressed and peered outside. Rain, but slowly stopping. Next, I drove around my usual running spots to figure out where I was gonna lay down 8 miles.
I checked out the dirt road near the blackhawk heliport. Verdict: too muddy. I need to run today and minimize issues.
Next, I went over to where I had done my off-road runs near the grenade qualifying area. On the way there, I was eyeing Hatch Road. It runs from Andrews, the main road, to the Apache and Chinook heliports. I mark out 4 miles from Andrews to Engineer Road. Going out-and-back twice makes 8 total. This way I'll have access to my car halfway through.
Right away someone stops to ask if I need help. Nice! I guess you know you're a distance (vs sprint) runner when you're running by yourself, in the middle of nowhere, so that any reasoning person would think you're stranded.
I set out in the grass along the road at 6:50 a.m. Within a few steps, I realize, my shoes are getting soaked. Now, I've just mentioned getting wet/dirty twice, so before I start sounding like I can't deal with that I should note that I've run in mud, ice, rain, snow and temps so cold that my hair froze and sweat froze outside my clothing. My real worry is that wet = blisters. Especially if you don't have the right socks and I was wearing a target lycra-cotton mix that I didn't know if I could trust.
Runners, like animals in the wild, are constantly mindful of any and all factors that will take you out. For most, blisters are one of those and they freaking take forever to heal.
After quickly mind scanning alternative locations I decided firstly that my shoes AND socks were already completely soaked. So relocating won't change that circumstance. Secondly, any other location besides the Beaver Lake paved trail would also pose wet feet/sock issues. Short trail loops? Sidewalk? I'm already bored just thinking about it - no way.
I press on, sloshing. For being mostly a country road surrounded in forests, the grass was mostly short to medium length. I got whippings across my legs often, but it wasn't bad. The hills were tolerable - mostly long and I walked when I needed to. After 4 miles I was back at my car and ate an organic fruit roll up in loo of an energy gel. I've never loved gels and now that I have food sensitivities, I want to experiment with other sources of natural sugar/energy. I think it worked with only a little stomach upset right after consuming it, then going away quickly. I also carried my baby gatorade (powerade zero) bottle, drinking all of it over the course of 8 miles. My run ended at 8:20 on the mark for a total of 1 hr 30 min.
I ended with walking a lot of the last mile probably. My legs felt full of lactic acid and soreness was setting in. The energy blast from any stores were running out. But, ending, I felt really good. I couldn't have gone another mile with any decent effort but 8 miles was exactly where I needed to be and took pushing but not too much.
I'm ALMOST back to half-marathon distance!! It also felt like a small victory knowing I can definately knock out a 10k. That is one thing that I do love about running.. it's a series of small victories. A negative thought, pushed through. A twinge of soreness, worked out. Basic necessities felt, like thirst, and satisfied. Fatigue sets in, and then restoration.
I thought of a lot of very other elloquent sounding philosophies about running and how it's life in miniature, but most thoughts were lost among the miles. *sigh*
Next week I will probably drop down to 6 miles again before upping the next week to 8 or 10 miles. I should probably repeat my 8 miler and keep building slowly and patiently.
P.S. I ended up with only one blister; left foot, pinky toe. Popped it and spread antibacterial on to hopefully speed healing!

Joy.

Today, not at 4.5 miles like the last "long run" but today, at 6.3 miles I felt like a runner again.

I think there are a few reasons why this small accomplishment felt good.

#1 I had planned for it. Today was my long run day. Just like when I used to run higher mileage, I always had a plan and up til now, I really never set any goals to improve on. And maybe since, I never improved!

#2 I used another trick from when I ran longer distances. I used to cut up the mileage mentally, telling myself, this is only "3 5ks" for a 9 mile run. Or, this is 2 8 mile runs for a 16 mile day. I did it in races too. Well, today I ran 3 2.1 mile loops and was able to mentally tell myself "I'm just running 2 miles."

#3 Walking the hills when needed and stopping for water between loops. When I grab a drink at my car quickly, I can start out again almost completely refreshed somehow. An old tactic that I'm using now on low mileage, but heck, it got me over my 3 mile stump!

#4 I woke up early, just like I used to, so that I could run in the coolest air of the day. Friday the sun just took me out of my run. It was miserable. I felt completely defeated. I was parched (hate carrying water). I prepared for my miles today by waking up and taking in some calories before getting dressed and leaving. Organized and on my game plan.

I'm taking Sunday off.. I had felt a few aches, my upper heal/back of the right foot and left hip/knee pain a little. I babied it with ice and Aleve. I'm taking no chances!

Monday I'll probably run 3 miles and then I need to also get back into cycle class so that I crosstrain and avoid overuse injuries. I used to love spinning but these days just don't want to be inside. I don't have my bike here in Alabama, so it's not an option. *sigh* Crosstraining needs to happen though. I know my body.

Anyway, pure joy. I smiled finishing. I felt that old feeling of accomplishment. Of salty sweat crusting. Of not feeling guilty when I eat (I didn't overeat, just felt like I was feeding my body). And.. lastly of feeding my soul. Cheesy it may sound but it was soul food. It WAS joy to have legs and be out there on them today. And everyday.


Current inspiration: Michelle Barton