I'm Walking... er, RUNNING... on Sunshine
January 29th
Assignment: Run 40 minutes
America's Finest
At some point in history, San Diego was given the title of "America's Finest City". I once heard that the title was actually given to San Diego by one of its city leaders as a way to promote tourism. I don't know if that rumor is true or not. And I don't know how deserving San Diego is to own the nickname, but there can be no doubt that San Diego and its surrounding suburbs are a fine place to live!
Especially on days like today. I woke up to beautiful, sunny, blue sky. The temperature was probably about 70 degrees at 9:00 am, when I finally started out on my run. I prepared for the run by putting on SPF 50 sunscreen, sunglasses, hat, running shorts, and sweat-wicking tank. I filled all four bottles on my running belt, applied about 10 layers of lip balm, and forgot my new watch.
Music Motivates
I love music. I've found that I run best when I'm enjoying the stuff coming out of my iPod Shuffle headphones. Last night, I downloaded a bunch of new music to listen to while I run. I found a lot of the songs by typing in "marathon" as a keyword in the playlist section. It's amazing how many marathon playlists there are!
A lot of my songs are worship songs. I like to listen to these as I run because it helps me focus on God, instead of my aching legs. I also have Dave Matthews Band, Stereophonics, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Lyle Lovett, some oldies (like from my high school days!!), and several other artists. What the songs in my iPod have in common is that either they tell a story or have a good beat.
Over the Hill
Not me. I'm not over the hill... I'm nearing the top but I have a ways to go before I'm over it. I'm referring to a hill I knew I would encounter on my run today. I chose a new route... a longer route. This route is pretty flat except for a few slightly sloped areas and one big hill.
I loved this run today, in spite of the hill. This route offers a wide range of interesting sights... horses, ponds, ducks, a golf course, nice houses, dilapidated houses, people walking their dogs, schools, and green, grassy fields.
Anyway, back to the hill... I was able to run all the way to the big hill (almost 2 miles) and even ran part way up it. I walked it up to the top and ran again non-stop to the 2.8 mile mark, where I had planned to walk in order to cool off.
The funny thing is, I ran all this way (well, it's a lot for me!) and I felt like I could have kept going! I am starting to really love this whole running thing! Who would've thunk it? Not me!
Tangent: I Feel Good!
When I had my second child (four years ago), I was sucker-punched with a bad case of post-partum depression. I cried everyday, had anxiety attacks, and even wondered if I made a mistake in wanting to have another kid.
After going on meds when my baby was 5 months old, things got much better. With that said, I have to admit that the depression that hit me left its residue on my soul and spirit. Since I've been running, however, I have felt so incredibly good!
I'm sure it's a combination of eating right, sleeping more, drinking less, and the training that has been helping to clear away the fog that settled on me. Running has been good for my spirit... makes me feel like I've got something to call my own. Something to work for and feel good about. I can see the results of my hard work and carry myself with confidence.
Oops...
I didn't plan to go into all that. This blog was meant to make everyone else wish they lived in San Diego (just kidding!). I did want to blog about the beautiful day, and how my new music helped me run. I also wanted to be able to use the title of one of the songs on my running playlist because it seemed so fitting today.
Assignment: Run 40 minutes
America's Finest
At some point in history, San Diego was given the title of "America's Finest City". I once heard that the title was actually given to San Diego by one of its city leaders as a way to promote tourism. I don't know if that rumor is true or not. And I don't know how deserving San Diego is to own the nickname, but there can be no doubt that San Diego and its surrounding suburbs are a fine place to live!
Especially on days like today. I woke up to beautiful, sunny, blue sky. The temperature was probably about 70 degrees at 9:00 am, when I finally started out on my run. I prepared for the run by putting on SPF 50 sunscreen, sunglasses, hat, running shorts, and sweat-wicking tank. I filled all four bottles on my running belt, applied about 10 layers of lip balm, and forgot my new watch.
Music Motivates
I love music. I've found that I run best when I'm enjoying the stuff coming out of my iPod Shuffle headphones. Last night, I downloaded a bunch of new music to listen to while I run. I found a lot of the songs by typing in "marathon" as a keyword in the playlist section. It's amazing how many marathon playlists there are!
A lot of my songs are worship songs. I like to listen to these as I run because it helps me focus on God, instead of my aching legs. I also have Dave Matthews Band, Stereophonics, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Lyle Lovett, some oldies (like from my high school days!!), and several other artists. What the songs in my iPod have in common is that either they tell a story or have a good beat.
Over the Hill
Not me. I'm not over the hill... I'm nearing the top but I have a ways to go before I'm over it. I'm referring to a hill I knew I would encounter on my run today. I chose a new route... a longer route. This route is pretty flat except for a few slightly sloped areas and one big hill.
I loved this run today, in spite of the hill. This route offers a wide range of interesting sights... horses, ponds, ducks, a golf course, nice houses, dilapidated houses, people walking their dogs, schools, and green, grassy fields.
Anyway, back to the hill... I was able to run all the way to the big hill (almost 2 miles) and even ran part way up it. I walked it up to the top and ran again non-stop to the 2.8 mile mark, where I had planned to walk in order to cool off.
The funny thing is, I ran all this way (well, it's a lot for me!) and I felt like I could have kept going! I am starting to really love this whole running thing! Who would've thunk it? Not me!
Tangent: I Feel Good!
When I had my second child (four years ago), I was sucker-punched with a bad case of post-partum depression. I cried everyday, had anxiety attacks, and even wondered if I made a mistake in wanting to have another kid.
After going on meds when my baby was 5 months old, things got much better. With that said, I have to admit that the depression that hit me left its residue on my soul and spirit. Since I've been running, however, I have felt so incredibly good!
I'm sure it's a combination of eating right, sleeping more, drinking less, and the training that has been helping to clear away the fog that settled on me. Running has been good for my spirit... makes me feel like I've got something to call my own. Something to work for and feel good about. I can see the results of my hard work and carry myself with confidence.
Oops...
I didn't plan to go into all that. This blog was meant to make everyone else wish they lived in San Diego (just kidding!). I did want to blog about the beautiful day, and how my new music helped me run. I also wanted to be able to use the title of one of the songs on my running playlist because it seemed so fitting today.
So, I've done all that and now here's a picture:
This is the big hill I was talking about... but now I'm looking at it and laughing at myself.
It doesn't look so big in the picture.
But it is when you have to run/walk it! Just trust me on that! :D
"To me, the runner's high is a sensational reaction to a great run! It's an exhilarating feeling of satisfaction and achievement."
-Sasha Azevedo
SASHA AZ
It doesn't look so big in the picture.
But it is when you have to run/walk it! Just trust me on that! :D
"To me, the runner's high is a sensational reaction to a great run! It's an exhilarating feeling of satisfaction and achievement."
-Sasha Azevedo
SASHA AZ
Comments
I'm a big fan of running as an anti-depressant. I had PPD with my first and running was my salvation. I started running ASAP with kid 2 and am convinced that's why I was in a much better state of mind.
I'm totally jealous of your weather. I do plan to run there one day, as my brother and SIL live there.