and the miles begin to build

our training schedule for the Half in May is starting to heat up.....and i'm lovin' it!!
I just wish the weather would start cooperating.
We are building now toward our 10 mile mark (slowly and surely)
Our friday runs are still consider 'optional'...but not for long..

it amazes me how far we've come..
we trotters!!
i can remember the almost dread i felt when we were looking at 10 miles on the calendar...i can remember how awkward i felt when we'd take off with the rest of the runners...
i felt like a fraud...like i was pretending to 'be one of them'..

getting used to the heat really sucked...
getting used to the cold hasn't been all that great either...
but i have found that my ipod buds stay in my ears a whole lot better with a winter headband...
and i like not having to wear shorts..
i like that i had to buy myself another pair of running shoes since my first pair wore out...

i remember how incredibly exhausted i was after every single run..no matter how long or short...
i had to tell myself to love it...
i had to just convince myself that this was what i was doing for the minute...

and now..
we trotters....
well....darn it...we're runners i'd say!

we have our strategy for good runs all figured out
we have our own rhythms
we have our talking periods and our plug in periods
we have times when we run in a single file line and when we run side by side
we each have our favorite flavor and type of supplements
we have our favorite gear
and get a kick out of saying 'oh, the last Half we did'..:)

and much to our great pleasure...we've added new trotters to the group.
these are fabulous women that are finding their way thru the running web
struggling thru injury...
struggling thru the mental walls...
pushing themselves on one STOP sign at a time...
one block at a time...
and soon...one water stop at a time!!

i consider myself a lucky girl to be hanging out with this little group of crazeeess.
we are a lucky group to have such a selfless and dedicated leader..
i'm a lucky girl to be able to run..

so..run i will..
not all that far
and not all that well
but...
run i will..