Just another day out on the road. I thought a lot about whether I wanted to do this loop UP or have a killer downhill in the middle of 2 gradual uphills. Well, the final decision was made by the turns. I got out later (yay! sun and warm!) so I knew traffic would be worse than early mornings. The route that is killer UP forces me to cross busy roads quite a few times to stay on the left and on one stretch of the hill has NO shoulder and then mud, but the other side has sidewalk as I run down (there is still NO shoulder). So, to stay safe I took the killer downhill miles in the midst of the rest all gradual uphill. As I was heading off I saw my neighbor out with her puppy in her gym clothes, she said she wanted to run down to the end of the street with me. No problemo - or so I thought. After about .15 of a mile I just turned the garmin off, it was WAY slow and the puppy kept tangling her up so she kept stopping and walking. It was nice to visit though. As I headed off on my own I got about a mile into things and realized I'd forgotten my ipod. Not a momentous thing, but I usually like to run with music when I'm alone and make sure I've got it before I leave. So not even thinking about until later is a good sign that I'm 'growing up' :) Am I the only one that writes their blog in their head as they run? I usually have it all figured out by the time I get home :) *yes, I came up with this thought while I was running* It was a pretty uneventful run, except that I was only going to do 8, but was feeling good so I took a couple extra loops on the way home, which caused me to run the "hill of despair" (3.5+ miles of gradual uphill, I'd say it's about 3-4% grade, garmin says about 1100 ft of gain). It just goes on and on and on all the way home! Excellent training for the end of a run. I never once regretted taking it! Plus, then I got a nice downhill relief the last .75 home - always a plus. AP: 9:04 splits: 9:39, 8:45, 9:12, 9:05, 8:40, 8:02, 8:59, 9:22, 9:46, 9:49, 8:40, 7:34 (last bit to finish). Now it's all downhill from here for the rest of the week until St George on Saturday! “You
are all Champions in your own way. That doesn't mean you have to be
number 1 or be the best. Just do your best. If you aren't first, then
make those people ahead of you break records by pushing them with your
personal best. Consider for a moment what we achieve from athletics -
the sheer fun of competing - the building of a healthy and alert mind
and body - stamina, courage, perseverance, dedication, commitment,
selflessness and most importantly, the will to excel.” -Roger Bannister Just downloaded this picture and HAD to share :) I love my cute little cowboy! My mom's husband gave him this outfit when he was born and the boots for Christmas - now if that doesn't make you smile I don't know what will! :) 
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