So I'm Training for a Half-Marathon

Usually when I'm running I think "Next time I'll go with a 5K."

I haven't missed a work out yet (I say this with fingers crossed---Friday lurks 2 days away with 10 miles in store for me).

I do not enjoy 1) that everything from my hips and down yells at me anytime I move and 2) that I often pause at the top of a staircase while my legs ache for a few seconds and 3) mile 3 ALWAYS gives me tight hammies, and 4) I think I'm getting shin splints.

However, I have a quiet appreciation for things like my warm-up jog (because it's not timed---I vcan go as slow as I want and my aching muscles kind of come back to life for a mile), and the little fluffs of cottony stuff that drift by me in the hot summer air (and yes, sometimes I try to catch them).

I also love this new thing that happens where my legs just keep going sometimes---it's like they disconnect from the rest of me---my aching lungs, my brain telling my body it can't do it, my hot face and sweaty arms. The only thing connected is my ears and the only thing they hear is the sound of my feet. My legs just find a rhythm (albeit a slow one) and GO-GO-GO. The best thing of all is this kind of rhythm that happens only sometimes. Mind floating...numb...free. And that's what makes it worth it. At least, that's what I will keep telling myself.