Running Again

Woohoo, I ran again this morning!

Actually, I ran a little last week, but that hardly counts. This was my first regular three-mile run in over a month.

I had gotten pretty regular, running about four or five times a week. I was even starting to increase my distance to five miles. But then right around Thanksgiving, after I was in the local Turkey Trot 5K, I did something to my hip. It was pretty sore, and I limped for a good two weeks (or more) afterward.

I knew I had to take it easy to let my body heal, but I was afraid that taking so much time off would really break this good habit I was developing. I actually looked forward to running every morning. My pace was gradually getting better, and I loved tracking my stats on the Runner's World website log. I'm happy to say that although this morning's run was not one of my bests, I still managed a pretty good pace.

Although the injury was the primary reason for my lapse, I'll confess that I also hate running in the cold. I would have quit during the coldest mornings anyway.

Another plus, I took Flower with me again. I run a loop around the neighborhood that's about 1.5 miles. I always take her on the first lap, and take her around again if I'm in the mood to deal with her. She loves it, of course.

And speaking of the dog princess, she's racked up another kill. This one was a night kill, which I thought was pretty impressive. So, the squirrel population is down a total of three now. She's got her eyes set on a big opossum that sneaks around the yard at night. I'm not sure how I'll react if she gets that one.