This morning it was about 24 degrees when my alarm went off for my group run. It has been almost 2 weeks since I've run, so I knew it was going to be tough! That remaining piece of my old bladder sling decided to break loose and I'm facing a surgical procedure in the near future and just didnt' want to aggrivate anything vital. I finally got in to see the doctor Weds and she said to go for it, that no organs would be impacted so I'm hoping the surgery can wait until March.

Anyway, our mission was 4 miles and early on I realized that I was not up to speed.
Once I began running my breathing went wild and I had to start walking intervals after only about a quarter of a mile. CRAP!!! Any progress we make over several months of steady and consistent training sure does disappear fast! One of the group leaders joined me at the 2 mile mark and finished with me, the whole time doing intervals of walk/run. It was fun to have someone to chat with and the time passed more quickly. She gave me some pointers about lengthening my stride and was very encouraging. Somehow, with her help we got through in about 50 minutes. It was painful, the air was cold, and my breathing was awful. I feel like I've started the Couch to 5K all over again!

At this point, I'm wondering at what point the lungs can handle all this effort? It seems like its taking a long time - I mean, the legs are okay, but the lungs seem to be struggling! Could this be the holdover of that pot in the 70's?? hahahaha!

Enough whining. I just wanted to say that as hard as it was to get up this morning, as hard as it was to get outside in the cold, and as scared as I was about causing myself more pain around the sling area, and as tough as the actual run was, I'm SO thankful I pushed through. Berry College is the most beautiful place on earth, and even though I've spent a lot of time on the campus my whole life, it always restores me to see the beautiful countryside, gothic buildings, mountains in the background, and dozens of deer in the fields - watching us all run! (Can you imagine what they must think to see all of these different sizes and shapes running from slow speeds to fast along the trails there? )

I was home by 9:20 and had my whole Saturday ahead of me. This really set the tone for a great day and I'm so glad I didn't miss this amazing opportunity to appreciate nature, talk with God, and to make a new friend. Woo Hoo!