Running

"Now you wouldn't believe me if I told you, but I could run like the wind blows."
-Forrest Gump (Forrest Gump)

Tonight, I had my best night running. Tonight, I understood why Shawn likes to run so much. Tonight, I felt like I had reached that point where I could run comfortably without completely expending myself. I felt the feeling of physical fitness, endurance and accomplishment. More importantly, I could still feel my legs when I was done.

We ran twice around Como, like usual, and than ran home. Shawn usually runs more then me anyway so he happily ran back to Como after we made it home to fetch the car and the keys. Forgetting we had locked the house, I in turn got to spend some quality time with my best friend Norman sitting on the grass in our backyard. It was the perfect reward for a job well done. Yes, Norman barked at me the whole time and when I wouldn't bite and join him in his little game, he went behind me and started nudging me in the back and biting at my pony tail. Knowing he's a hopeless, lazy, overweight, sappy, puddle of love, I just let him.

Back to running. I distanced a total of about 4.5 miles tonight. I have gone 4.8 (three times around Como) before but this is the farthest I've ever gone without stopping. I didn't even stop to check my heart rate like I have been doing every lap around Como to make sure I stay in my fat burning zone. I've converted to such running geekdom, I know. Maybe it was the cool weather, the fact that the wind had finally stopped for the first time all week, that we made it without getting rained on, or that I was extra motivated to work off that Reese's I ate earlier in the day; whatever it was, I had fun… running.

I'm a little scared what this means for me but also extremely proud of myself, which is not something I admit to lightly or often. Knowing how much I've loathed exercising in the past, I'm delighted to see my determination has improved. Exercise really does strengthen my mood, concentration and mental capabilities. I begrudgingly admit it after others (no, not just Shawn) have tried to educate me on this for quite some time now. These days, I run four to five times a week and at least 3.2 miles each time (weather permitting). When I first started, I couldn't even make it around Como once (1.6 miles) without stopping. Now look at me. Eat your heart out Jillian Michaels.

Hey, where'd that bag of Oreos go…