One week

Apparently one week is all it takes to forget the misery of a crazy hilly run in the rain and mud. So one week after last Saturday's hills, I landed at Briones Regional Park again for a 6 mile run. I chose a different route this time - an out and back - that I thought would be a bit flatter. It wasn't. But it was doable. There were still lots of hills, but I managed not to take any wrong turns up any goat trails and I stayed on path. A pleasant change. The sun was shining and there were tons of friendly folks out with their dogs too. Bear and Huck chased some cows, scared a few horses and I managed to complete 6 miles (well, 5.6) of hills in 1hr 22 minutes. Much better than last weekend :)

Soreness

I am so sore! Sore is now my middle name. Brooke "I'm so f***ing sore" Anderson. I trained hard this week. After those bleeping hills on Saturday, I took Sunday off. But I had a good gym workout on Monday - elliptical and a ton of core exercises with weights - and a great run on Wednesday. It was a fantastic run a actually. I did 5 miles and I upped my run/walk from 5:2 to 7:2. It made a world of difference. I was able to find my stride about a mile in and I felt strong the whole way! I finished with an endorphin rush that only skinny girls in Runner's World talk about. My time: 59 minutes (I told you I was slow ;) I'm still jazzed just thinking about it! Well, jazzed and sore. Seriously, Im so f***ing sore.

5 miles of hills

I severely underestimated the run I chose for Saturday. I took Bear and Huckleberry

to Briones Regional Park - a favorite hiking destination of theirs and mine. It was supposed to be a quick 4.5 mile loop. I knew there were a few hills that would make up for the .5 miles I was going to be short on mileage. It had rained the last couple of days, so I guessed it would be a little muddy.
It was supposed to be a quick 4.5 mile loop - it wasn't. In my defense, the first 2 miles were straight up. The rest of the run was straight down. It was muddy, windy, cold and wet. Bear and Huck LOVED it. Me? I would have had it not been for the 5lbs of mud per shoe I carried the whole way, or the wrong turn up the goat trail I made. I got back to the truck almost two hours later! Two hours! For a quick 4.5 mile loop. It was beautiful though, and now one day later I'm smiling to myself thinking "maybe I'll do my 8 mile there next weekend"

Baby it's cold outside

Tuesdays are a run day for me. I was thinking 3 miles sounded like a good number today. By the time I got home though the temperature had dropped and I had zero desire to run in the cold. So I forced myself to go to the gym. Let me just say that running on the treadmill is the worst form of torture. There's nothing like watching the seconds slowly tick by while your mileage barely climbs to make me want to do core strengthening instead. So after 2 1/4 miles that's what I did - an embarrassing amount of push-ups, sit-ups, plank and stretching. But on a cold Tuesday evening when I'd rather be home drinking champagne, I'd call that a success!

I used to be a runner

With three marathons and a triathlon under my belt, I was fit, confident, proud.  Then a combination of a love of cooking, good wine, and a comfy couch changed all that.  Before I knew it I had traded in my running shoes for chardonnay and re-runs of Two and a Half Men.  A short three years later, I was no longer fit, I was slow.  No longer confident and proud, I was overweight and insecure.  I tried several times to get back into running, but I was embarrassed and discouraged.  I knew it would take years to get back to my previous level, so I would quit every time.  
No more.  No more quitting, no more excuses.  I don't have to be an uber-athlete to get out there again, get healthy and run across another finish line.  
I am a runner - a slow and fat one.  This is my journey.