Nobody said it was easy

Hello Sunshine! Today is an absolutely beautiful day outside. 70 degrees and sunny. Really? Does it get better than that?

I head over to Mt. Trashmore this morning for a run or a walk. (If you don’t live in Virginia, we have a city park that used to be a landfill. The old trash pill is now a big hill in the middle of flat Virginia Beach). I got to the park just before 9am. The sun was still low in they sky. The temperature was perfect.

I had no plan for this run/walk other than I planned to take it easy, listen to my body, and enjoy the fresh air. I walked the first 1/2 mile to help warm up my legs (and hopefully prevent leg cramps). After the first 1/2 mile, I felt good. I decided to run.

Running felt great! My legs felt good. I didn’t have any discomfort in my belly. The park has a loop that is close to 2 miles with a bathroom along the path! It is the perfect spot to run for a pregnant lady. I’m never too far from my car if things get uncomfortable. I never have to run more than 2 miles without a potty break. I’m also able to stash goodies in my car (just in case).

Close to the end of my first loop, my iPod died. Oops. I forgot to charge it. I made a quick pit stop to my car to grab my cell phone. My running routine on this run turned into run 2 songs, walk 1 song. I felt a little lost without my music when my iPod died. Thank goodness for the Pandora app on my iPhone. I selected the Jack Johnson station and kept on running. This station has been good to me in the past, but I was ready to run without music when the longest Coldplay song EVER started playing.

Nobody said it was easy
Aww It’s such a shame for us to part
Nobody said it was easy
No one ever said it would be so hard
I’m goin’ back to the start

Let’s just say I’m not a fan of running to Coldplay! If it wasn’t so hard to get to my phone (Smooshed in a pocket one size too small on my water bottle), I would have quickly changed the song. All I could think about was the quote on Tasha’s blog (who is still alive for those of you who read it! I saw her in person at my baby shower!)

I’m not telling you it is going to be easy, I’m telling you it is going to be worth it.

I might have to send Chris from Coldplay a note to remind him it is worth it 🙂

I ended up running a little over 5 miles today – running 2 songs, walking 1 song. My pace averaged around 13-14 minute miles (running 12 minute miles). It felt great! We will see how my body feels after my next attempt at a run, but today was exactly what I needed.

I had hoped to cross paths with my friend Rachael who was out there running today, but we must have been chasing each other. She is 21 weeks pregnant and running a FULL marathon in a few weeks! Talk about inspiring! I did have a surprise meet and greet with my marathon training buddy in the parking lot. I haven’t seen her since my injury last March. Knowing that both the ladies were out there running at the same time as me helped keep me motivated. The park was also packed with a lot of friendly runners who were more than happy to say hello to the pregnant lady waddling around the lake. I love being surrounded by people who are outside staying active and enjoying the beautiful day!

If you haven’t been outside yet, grab your shoes and get outside!