Rebekah Speaks

I hope no one minds, but I made  a decision. With all I have to do in getting for a new teaching job and continuing to coach, I find it difficult to daily record my runs. Not that I'm not running. I am. But I'm just not sure that anyone really cares if I ran 2 miles or 20 miles. So I decided to change things up and save myself the self-inflicted assignment (and pressure) of recording my every step. Rather, to keep myself honest, I will post a mere blurb each Sunday and simply report whether or not I was successful in daily running. If any epiphanies struck during the course of an outing, I shall gladly report on that. In fact, I wrote about a night run just a few days ago ( Running in the Dark ). So here goes. I ran every day this week. Period. Enough said. Year-to-date: 1578 miles

I love running in the dark. The darkness embraces me. The darkness calms and soothes. The darkness is my friend. With days full of preparation for the coming school year, my runs, as of late, have been as the sun sets in the west. But last night it was a little later than that. In fact, late enough that prime-time TV was in full swing and the stars were in full view. Country roads are standard fair for runs from my house. Normally, I wear a reflective vest so the rare car that passes sees me rather than hits me. I also carry a tiny flashlight but refrain from turning it on until I see a car approaching from in front or behind me. Last night was no different. I've found the best approach to night running on roads is to run right down the middle. This, of course, would be very bad advise if your route is a busy city avenue. But out in the country where you are more likely to coax a herd of cows to stampede beside you rather than have cars run you down, the middle of the road is...

Grandpa, grandkids (minus Seth), and great grandkid Day 219 – August 6, 2012 Today dawned a cloudy, a welcome relief from the hot sun. My run around the lake felt smooth and strong, despite the humidity. I explored a few extra road to make the run a little longer. Total – 7 road miles Day 220 – August 7, 2012 I’ve loved being at the lake with family enjoying lazy, hazy summer days. But alas, it’s time to go home. With the decision made, we left early, leaving me to run once we got home and organized. It was back to country roads. Nice, but I missed seeing the lake. Total – 6 road miles Day 221 – August 8, 2012 It was the first day of new teacher orientation followed by a “Words of Wisdom” women’s gathering to encourage two young ladies headed off for college. The tight schedule had me pulling into a dark parking lot at 10:15, heading off for a short campus run. Though humid, it was a quiet, relaxing time. Total – 4 road miles Day 222 – August 9, ...

Day 212 – July 30, 2012 I guess today was a little better. My legs still feel dull and my energy could have been better. Total – 6 road miles Day 213 – July 31, 2012 Tonight was another small team practice. I am a little disappointed that so few kids are coming out for group runs. Nevertheless, we had a great time running trails. A few of the girls have really showed great improvement and will likely be running with the lead pack given a little more time. Total – 4.5 trail miles Day 214 – August 1, 2012 Time to leave for vacation! Before heading off to Gary ’s sister’s place on the lake, I took to the roads. Maybe it was because yesterday was my last day of online high school teaching or maybe it was the promise of lazy days on the lake, but regardless, I felt strong as I ran along country roads. Total – 6 road miles Day 215 – August 2, 2012 Ah, a good sleep, coffee in the morning, and my first of many runs around the lake. With the humidity so high, i...