slow and steady.

My new motto is "Slow and steady wins the race." Although I hardly think I will win the race going as slow as I run, but it's still a good motto. Maybe, just maybe, I could win it. I'll keep dreaming. I'm hoping eventually I will pick up my pace a little bit without huffing and puffing. I do feel myself getting a little bit better, especially when I start out slower, I can really push hard towards the end. And I don't have this awful leg pain that I have to run through in the beginning.

We had a group run this morning and for the most part of the run I ran with Katie and Bonnie. Katie talked the majority of the time which was really nice! (Thanks Katie!) It definitely keeps your mind focused on something else other than how far, fast, or how much longer. These group runs really help my motivation. I woke up this morning not really wanting to get out of bed or to even run, but once I got there I felt great and motivated. And afterwards, I feel even better. I don't think I could do any of this alone.

This week my running partner, my dog Bama, is with my parents. It's going to be a good thing and a bad thing I think. Not even 24 hours from being away from her and I realized how much I talk to her! She definitely keeps me company and definitely motivates me in the mornings to run. My alarm goes off and she is right there nudging me and jumping on me to get me up. I'll miss that, especially towards the end of the week when I get tired and lazy. But not running with her will also allow me to run further/longer and not have to stop every mile or so to let her get water. So it's definitely going to be a long week!

"Just run right through it!"