A Changed Woman

I am a changed woman. This morning I ran 5 miles in 50:32 (which included 2 short stints of walking due to my ever present shin splints). While not a world record pace, it is a personal record on several levels. Two months ago, I would not have been able to run 5 miles. Four months ago, running 3 minutes straight was super hard and tedious. So just be able to finish the 5 miles (that I painstakingly plotted out to make a loop in my neighborhood - thanks to google maps) is a feat. Being able to do it at a less than an 11 minute mile pace, even more to my amazement. Add on that the fact that I actually enjoyed the run, despite sweating buckets, and felt good at the end of it, and I am a new person all together. As readers of my blog can attest I have proclaimed on many occasions to hate running. Then we moved to not minding it, and now I have admitted that I actually enjoyed a 5 mile run. What is this world coming to?

In other news, I had lunch today at California Pizza Kitchen with my neighbor. She is wonderful and even though we don't know each other well, it feels as though we have known each other forever. She has 2 children - a baby who is now probably about 6 or 7 months old and a little boy just a bit older than Angelfish & Ladybug. I had a blast and hope we will get to spend more time together. It's been awhile since I felt right at home with someone and that I could talk to them without realizing how long we'd been talking. Perhaps the funniest part of the lunch was transportation. We had spoken this morning and I said that I would drive, and then just before we had arranged to leave I discovered I couldn't find my keys. I called Bill and lo and behold, he had not 1 but 2 sets of keys in his pocket. So my neighbor drove and told me how her husband has done that to her before too. (Oh, and she also told me that I look great and look like I've lost a lot of weight. That always puts a smile on a girls' face.)

I've also decided to take my social life (or lack thereof) into my own hands. Yes, I am determined to make friends in this city of Orlando. I have decided that I will join Junior League. I went to a meeting a few months ago, right when I was deciding to do Team in Training, and put it off because I didn't think it would be a good idea to try to do both. At the meeting I met some very nice women - mostly professionals around my age with children or at least married who like children. So, I'm going to another information session in a few weeks and plan to join. A volunteer group that also helps you grow as a person and provides you with socializing opportunities - what more could I ask for? Plus, I am starting a book club with a friend. I love to read and now I will have to make time for it again (other than reading about triathlon skills).

Not to worry though, I still plan to train for and compete in triathlons. I don't think I could give it up if you tried to make me. I love it too much. I love the alternating days of swimming, running and biking, and the fear, thrills and nerves associated with race day. A few short months and there you are - a triathlete who enjoys a 5 mile run.

I keep thinking of Angela today. Perhaps it is due to a blog entry on a Tiding of Magpies that I read about finding time to write. Angela was a writer. She wrote stories about two overly intelligent sisters who get into a mess of trouble on trips with their academic parents. They were wonderful stories. I so wish she could have been published before she passed. Her blog is still up... Tea with Mrs. Fox. She posted some stories there before one of her last surgeries. You should take a peek.

Until tomorrow...