Imagine this...a fitness incentive?

My friend, Fara, who once upon a time used run with me, works for a federally funded program in Shelbyville. She works with low income children who need physical therapy & assessments on their growth progression. Anyway, her agency has given the employees an opportunity to earn 1 extra vacation day by doing something "measurable" for their own personal fitness. (She works with a lot of overweight people, apparently.) My guess is that they are trying to get the insurance costs down within the agency, who knows... So, Fara has decided that a 1/2 marathon is in her future for this Fall. I've tried to get her to do the CMM 1/2 in the past but life has got in the way of that. So, she's targeting the Music City 1/2 or possibly Team Nashville or maybe even the Huntsville 1/2. I hope my forever injured body allows me to train in time to do it with her. Who knows....guess I'll know July 17th if that's going to be possible. I despise being injured because I LOVE running & like to plan my races ahead of time.

Ok, you all that know me well know I'm just crazy enough to carry this sign at 5am to Times Square on my last day of vacation & get on TV. You have been warned! :P I have some 4th of July stickers I may put on it tonight.

Catchin' up with old friends, 6.11 miles of drainage, Yardwork, & a little movie called, "Juno"

Congrats to Michele & David for surviving & running well on those hills in Birmingham. :)
David set a PR!! If that had been flat, those two would have gone sub-4 that's for certain.

Fara & I spent 3.5 hrs at "J & G" Friday evening catching up on each other's lives. It was nice. I really missed her. Wish she'd run with me again but she's having lower back issues. She's a former ball player, High School/Motlow. She's done a few races with me including the inaugral Preds 5k, a Red Cross run in Brentwood, & Moon Pie all in '04, I believe...

Arlene & I spent 2 hrs in "Bonefish" last night playing catch up & then we saw "Juno". What a movie! I can certainly see why it's up for an academy award. Ellen Page is awesome as Juno (June Bug). There was a little bit of a running theme in there. The boyfriend ran track. I cracked up everytime I saw those boys in those yellow shorts. ha!

I did manage 10 mins on the stepper before hopping into Pilates yesterday. Carla should be locked up for the stuff she was making us do with rubber bands. :P I decided to go out for a test run. The IT Band seemed ok, it was the sinus junk that slowed me. So for 6.11 miles I ran, my nose ran, & I spit. There really is an art to it & I may be getting better at slinging it. :P
I took off from the gym over to Farrar then over into Carla's neighborhood down to West Middle & then back to the gym. I had to stop for traffic on Cedar lane 2x, stopped again to tie my shoes, & 2 more times to just spit & clear my throat. It was a messy 9:48 pace for 6.11 miles. I think I'll wear a bib around my neck to catch everything when I run tomorrow.

Today, I did yard work for over 2 hrs, mulching leftover fall leaves, raking, & picking up sticks. (I call it cross training!) I didn't get 100% done with it but I got tired of my nose running. I noticed that there are ton of wild onion. That may be a part of my problem!! Wild onion seems to be growing everywhere. I did make it to the gym for a quick 45 mins on the elliptical to stretch my legs. My hammy's were sore & I'm blaming the rubberband tricks from Pilates. :P

My MI relatives are suffering through a bitter cold. Their high today was only 7 degrees. They are all turning into hermits up there. I felt bad telling Patti that it was in the 50's here. She said that if it were in the 50's there, she'd put on her bathing suit & lay in the sun.

Tomorrow, I'm attempting another 6 miles, probably in my neighborhood before I head to the gym.