BEST. RUN. EVER.

I can now say that I have officially had my BEST. RUN. EVER!

After last week's tough series of runs, I wasn't sure I would ever be able to run and just love it. I had hoped to find that elusive runners' high again, but thought I might be doomed to a running career filled with sore hips and foot pain. Luckily, that didn't turn out to be the case!

When I woke up this morning, the first thing I heard was the wind. It was howling so loudly I thought, NO WAY am I getting up to run in this first thing. I knew I wanted to run today since my foot was feeling much better and I have a crazy schedule this week. But I figured I would put it off until lunchtime in the hopes that the wind would die down a bit. I even took the puppy for a walk first to get a sense of how strong it really was. And let me tell you, saying that it's "windy" doesn't even convey the strength that the wind is showcasing today. My poor basset hound's ears were permanently airborne on our fifteen minute walk and I could tell that I'd be battling the wind in every direction of my run. The wind had even managed to pick up the lid of my garbage can, tucked into an alcove next to my house, and blow it down the driveway and into the street. But I was hoping for the best.

So I looked at Barney the basset (who was sitting by the front door hoping for a second walk) and told him "Today is going to be an awesome run." Then I had to nudge him out of the way to get out the door. Attitude is everything, right?

As usual, the first five minutes weren't my favorite, but I knew I just had to settle into it and hang on. I had set my phone on 28 minutes and planned to look at it sparingly, focusing instead of how my body felt as I ran. Surprisingly, this has been much more effective than my previous five minute intervals plan. I didn't even look at the timer for the first six minutes, which would have been unthinkable six weeks ago. The wind didn't seem too bad on the first half either, mostly because it was at my back pushing me, and the smell of the sea air reminded me of why I love to run at the beach. Minus the wind, today was the perfect day to run!

The second half was a bit tougher, only because it was so windy I really thought I was running in place a few times. Once, my hat blew right off my head, and by the end of the run, the wind had wrapped my necklace around the wires of my headphones, almost strangling me. But despite those minor setbacks, my body felt good, only a little bit tired, and I was just so thrilled! I felt like I was really turning a corner today in my running career. Post-run, my foot is a bit sore again, so I'm definitely icing it, and today was warm enough that I was wishing for shorts - I wasn't sure I'd ever survive this winter to be able to say that! As if Champion was reading my mind, my new shorts arrived today in the mail while I was out running!

Speaking of my running career, today is also the day that I signed up for my first ever 5k! And there are no refunds, so barring any unforeseen illness or injury, I will be running in the 18th Annual River to Bay 5k on May 2nd in Island Heights, NJ. My key factor in picking this race (besides proximity) is that I will get a tee shirt. I think it's important to have a tee shirt to commemorate your first 5k. I mean, I still wear my Hamilton fencing tee shirt, and it's been more than ten years since I got it. I would wear my third place trophy if it wouldn't be entirely uncomfortable.

But anyway, I'm very excited and a bit nervous about the 5k, but I've had so much great feedback from my friends and family that I've got to believe I can do it! Now I've really got to get serious about my running!

To celebrate a great run today, I had a big glass of milk and a chocolate pudding when I got home. I've heard it's important to have some protein right after a run, so that's what I did. I'll be running here at home again Wednesday morning, but then Friday will mark the first time that I'm running out of town. I'll be attending the Legal Marketing Association's Annual Conference in National Harbor, Maryland from Wednesday to Friday night, so I'll have to run there. I think it's good practice, since I've never run anywhere but here, and obviously, I'll have to run somewhere else for my 5k. I'm driving down to the conference, so I'll have plenty of room for my sneaks and running clothes and I'm fairly sure that I'll be able to run outside there. Should be fun!