Rebekah Speaks

Day 142 – May 21, 2012 Whew. Track is finally over. I’ve enjoyed coaching but ten months straight is a lot. Now, I have some freedom to run on my own and according to my schedule. With that in mind, I ran country roads, enjoying the warm, sunny afternoon. The sky was a brilliant blue with white and silver clouds silhouetted against the canvas. Beautiful! Total – 7 road miles Day 143 – May 22, 2012 Sometimes it’s hard to get in the car to drive somewhere to run. So it was out the door and down the road today before working with the chipper to make more mulch for my flower beds. Total – 6 road miles Day 144 – May 23, 2012 Summer cold, go away! Out of nowhere, I started the stuffy, sniffy, low-grade fever thing last night and felt rotten all day today. I was tempted to do a one or two miler but once I started, I could breath much better. My run turned out to be a standard 6-miler that felt comfortable---expect when I saw a cat, being chased by a dog, get thumpe...

Ah. The windows are open, a fan gently whirls, and birds sing their evening praise as the sun begins its game of hide behind the backyard trees. I love times like these. I also like unexpected pleasures. On yesterday's run, I spied some beautiful flowers growing along side of the country road. I couldn't resist. I stepped into the ditch and started pulling at them. The stems did not break easily, so there I was, running down the road with a handful of flowers, roots and all. I'm not sure if I delighted more in the flowers or the strange looks I got from the few people whizzing by in their cars. When I smell the scent of freshly cut grass, my mind goes back to my dad and his riding lawn mower. He loved to come home from his dental office and climb onto that tractor. It soothed him. It made the pressures of a solo practice disappear for awhile. Maybe that's why I anticipate my sessions with our lawn mover. Then, there's the quiet of my house. I'm fortunate ...

Day 135 – May 14, 2012 The team and I took a short run on the way to the track before doing the last hard workout of the season. Well, they did the hard workout. I just ran laps in their recovery periods. Total – 5.5 road and track miles Day 136 – May 15, 2012 This was basically a rest day for me. A few lowly miles with the team. Total – 2.5 miles on gravel roads Day 137 – May 16, 2012 As a team, we ran incorporated two half-mile pick-ups within the context of an easy 4 mile run. Short and simple with the state meet coming up on Saturday. Total – 4 road and gravel miles Day 138 – May 17, 2012 The country roads called my name with sunny skies and a gentle breeze. Total – 9.0 miles Day 139 – May 18, 2012 I was glad to get to the mountains today but was reminded what the heavy rains (up to 9 inches) of earlier this week can do to trails. Many were a mess, some were terribly overgrown, and the streams turned into rushing torrents! I had wante...

Day 128 – May 7, 2012 With a workout on the track that required my attention, I squeezed in a run before practice, manning the stopwatch as the kids whirled around the track. Total – 6.5 road miles Day 129 – May 8, 2012 This was our last trail run of the outdoor track season. With a little adventure on the side, we did a tour of two off-the-beaten-path cemeteries. What a great bunch of kids who love to explore! Total – 5.6 trail miles Day 130 – May 9, 2012 This was a mixed up day that resulted in less than intended miles. I’ve been working at a school all week, met one of my athletes for a special practice after that, had a track meet canceled, got rained on, then ended up at home to get dinner on the table. Hence, low miles. Total – 3.5 track and road miles Day 131 – May 10, 2012 After working a full day, I was glad to hit some easy, flat trails before heading over to a track meet. Felt good to run. Total – 5 trail miles Day 132 – May 11, 20...

Day 121 – April 30, 2012 For a day that was forecasted to have a 20% chance of rain, it was wet, foggy, and drizzling all day long. At least the temps were in the 60s. A jumbled schedule at school meant that only a few of the distance kids showed up. However, with an easy day on the docket, we enjoyed a short road run. Total – 4 road miles Day 122 – May 1, 2012 Whew. After a cold and rainy spell, I’m not sure I was prepared for 80 and humid. I even had to strip my short sleeves off and run bare belly despite the old abs not being extraordinarily attractive. Oh, well. At least the 62 degree pool water cooled me off in a hurry. Total – 6 road miles Day 123 – May 2, 2012 Off to the woods with the team! We had a blast, taking a newly created trail that has eight stream crossings and ends up at a wonderful swimming hole at the bottom of a water fall. Needless to say, on a 90 degree day, every single one of us got a purposeful, complete soaking. It was so much fun! ...