Rising Early

Does anyone really like getting up at 4:15 am for any reason, let alone working your butt off in some form of exercise?

When my phone alarm goes off a nice song begins to play. I hear it before it gets too far in and immediately throw my feet on the floor. I don't lay there and lament over having to get up, it's just too easy to talk myself into not going at all. So I get up as soon as I hear the song start to play.

At first I am in somewhat of a daze, getting dressed without any real thought. (This is why I lay my clothes out the night before). I stumble to the kitchen to get a little bite to eat, a banana, an apple, maybe an Ezekiel English muffin. Drink some water to get me going. Terry's alarm goes off 15 minutes after mine and he lounges in bed grumbling. I just let him grumble.

Once he is up and moving we get ready and head off for the morning's endeavor. On a 4:15 day that would be Boot Camp. A fitness group with a fearless leader who drinks espresso before she gets to the gym at 4:45. Needless to say moving like that this early is tough but also invigorating. On the off days we run instead and get to sleep until 5:00 am. Yippee!

The best part of these mornings is the time we have together after the hard work. Opening the door to the coffee brewing, the house filled with that yummy aroma, we poor a cup and sit together discussing what we expect from our day, how we felt about our workout, and how much we would love to go back to bed. It's uninterrupted time. Sometimes we sit on the deck in the dark watching the kittens eat, listening to the frogs who are just waking up, and wondering what kind of critters we hear moving in the trees.

These times together are priceless. Yes that term is overused but how else do you describe the feeling of sharing an early morning with someone you have loved for 29 years?

It really doesn't get any better than this.

Slow Going

It's been a weak since I really started "running" again. I'm really only jogging but don't tell anyone.

It's hard coming back from an injury, hard on your ego, as well as the injured limb.

However, what I've discovered once again is the beauty of running so early that you can see all the stars, hear the crickets, and see the sun rise.

Getting up at 4:15 and going to boot camp at 5:00 is great too, in it's own way. During boot camp you are inside pushing yourself to the limit. You have to depend upon the others around you and the music to keep you going through the "harder than I thought this was going to be" workouts.

Running? Well that's a different push. No matter where you are starting from it's an activity that makes you reach deep down inside, pulling every reserve to go where you need to go, alone. And that is true when recovering, starting out, or training for a time goal. It's a much more individual soulful activity.

I am happy to be on the mend, happy to be able to walk/jog/run/cycle/swim/yoga, whatever the days plan calls for. I am happy and thankful to be healthy.

Back on the Road

The time is finally here, time to get back on the road and work my way up to my 5th marathon on July 2011.

I have learned so much during this time off, I've learned that I can enjoy other sports, I've learned that patience is more important than we realize, and I've learned that when I whine it's OK for my husband to tell me to cut it out.

Starting back is a bit scary and yet exciting. For awhile I'll be going at it slowly while still participating in a fitness boot camp, cycling, and swimming. Therefore I am staying fit and this should go along way to getting me strong for number 5.

I look forward to watching the progression and sharing that time with Terry and friends.