Seven miles from Mexico

Sound hot? It was. I ran near our friend's house in Chula Vista, which is seven miles (as the crow flies*) from the Mexican border,** which was the distance of my run***. I ran at 1:30 in the afternoon. It sounds like a recipe for disaster, but it wasn't.

I was thrilled to get out and run. My chest is not hurting nearly as much and I discovered that chasing around a three- and a five-year-old bothers it as much as running does. I have found that running is my "me" time; my solace. It is time alone when I don't feel guilty for not doing something. If I take some time for myself at home by reading a book or watching a movie, I end up feeling like I should be doing something more productive. When I am running, I don't feel that way. If I tell my kids or my husband that I am going out for a run, they say, "have a nice run." If I were to say I was going to go shopping or go for a walk or hang by myself for a while, someone would want something or want to come along. Three-year-olds don't really understand the concept of "mommy time," but they do understand "going for a run."

I was prepared for a warm run. I brought my hydration belt (or "tool" belt as marathonman calls it). I think I am definitely going to get the twenty ounce handheld bottle because I went through two ten ounce bottles on my run today. Not only did I have plenty of fluids, but there was a little bit of a breeze that helped cool me off. I think I am acclimating to the heat pretty well. I sweat way more than I used to. By the end of the summer, I should be able to give Terri a run for her money. I had a bit of my own puddle in my wake today.

I didn't feel super speedy or strong, but I felt fine. I did a couple short fartleks just to see if my feet could move faster. They can. I am looking forward to my sharpening phase of this training coming up in a few weeks, when I can do a few miles at race pace or faster. I think for a seven mile run after taking an entire week off, I didn't do half bad.

After my run, I joined my family at our friend's house to swim. I feel a little bad for not showering before getting in the pool. Sweat isn't bad for pools is it? I figure that my husband and his buddies use that hot tub every week after basketball, so one little runner girl isn't going to make a difference.

Happy Running, everyone!

*according to Google Earth.
** actually, I write this for dramatic effect. Where I live is right around eleven miles from the border and I can see Mexico from my house. However, even those few miles further south seem to make a difference of a few degrees.
***no, I didn't run to Mexico. I ran around a nice little lake and some neighborhoods.