Early TG Spirit

Because Thanksgiving is fast approaching, because it is my favorite holiday, and because I am in a dang thankful frame of mind this week, I am going to bandwagon it and do a gratitude list today, too. Here is what I am presently thankful for:

1. The Healing Power of the Human Body - Healed (praise Jebus I'm healed and whole-ish) and able to run again.

2. Mad Men - Don Draper, nom-nom-nom. By GOD I love that show. Full stop.

3. Comcast OnDemand - so I can watch the entire season of Mad Men over and over and over and over again, until the next new episodes start...Don Draper, nom-nom-nom.

4. HRRC* runners - what a great group of folks that I am so glad to have met and gotten to know.

5. Peanut Butter M&Ms - because nothing says, "I defeat you, stress!" like saying it with your mouse raised and a mouthful (and I do mean FULL) of peanut butter M&M's.

6. New Running Shoes - Asic's 2140's I love you! I resisted giving up my 2130's but so far the 40's are a decent replacement. Plus they are pink. Yay/yay.

My week so far has involved high amounts of stress...which I am now *smartly* managing with small doses of low-mileage running, meditation, and peanut butter. I have worked up to 3-4 miles, and am *smartly* running every other day and gradually adding distance. Emphasis on gradually. I got to run with the running group again last Saturday, and turned in a nice, foot pain-free run of 3.64 miles. Then did about 3 miles at the track with a couple of other running buddies on Monday. Planing to do a *smart* run of 2 miles or so tonight. And the fact that I can once again say that, is all I need to be thankful. Well, that and the M&Ms. And maybe a bit of soft porn (i.e. Mad Men) here and there...but that's all I really need. Really.

*Highlands Ranch Running Club, for the uninitiated

Dog Days of Blogging

I think my crazy-busy two weeks of work before the holiday have completely fried my brain. Either that or the dog days of blogging have set in...I could blame the heat, or the post-holiday slow week, or Michael Jackson's death (because really, who can function in the aftermath? certainly not all the crying facebook/twitter commenters participating on cnn.com yesterday. hey, i only watched it for the music and to catch a glimpse of diana ross' hair) but mostly it's probably the fact that my life lately has been kinda boring. Run. Work. Kids. Sleep. Repeat.

I simply don't have much to write about today (and not for lack of trying; I've been rolling around in my noggin what mental diarrhea I feel the need to get out of my head over the last few days, but keep coming up constipated. and you know constipation of any kind is never good.) other than the fact that I had a lovely early morning run with my old pal Cross Country Squared this morning. She is in town for worksy-type activities and I somehow got her to drag her bones out of bed and meet me for a 5:30AM run. Glad she did as it was good to see her again and catch up, and the chatting just made the 5 miles fly by. And a little shout out--I want to heartily thank her for hanging with me, when I could tell she would have gone a lot faster (and probably farther) on her own.

We did my relatively flat post office loop of 5.28 miles in 47:39 (plus a potty break for me halfway through; my bladder is the size of a peanut, I'm used to it) for a 9:01 pace. Good start to the day.

Depending on the heat and how my day goes, I am considering trying a two-a-day today and doing some track work tonight. But don't hold me to it, now that Michael's gone.