Thanksgiving 2008 - Palm Springs

For those of you who have had the opportunity to run through the town of Palm Springs, let me just say Oh My Gawsh! My family and I stayed there this past weekend and met up with my husbands family to celebrate for 3 days. I ran each morning just after sunrise and it's nothing short of spectacular.

The streets are quiet during the holidays - everyone's still bundled up in bed or sipping coffee so the roads were there just for me to run on them. We stayed in a very upscale Hollywood circa 1950's neighborhood so each street was lined with pristine houses will well kept yards, all with lawns that were all promptly watered early in the morning before the heat of the day. This made the 68 degree weather with humididty very similar to the beach weather I'm used to at home. The sun shines up against the mountains as it's rising and that's amazing too. On one of the days, I followed a local around (or at least she seemed to know where she was going!!) and we went through a zeroscaped park in town that had windly little paths - it was a real treat. This morning, I did 9 miles, during which I saw a fellow runner give me the peace sign (Even though he wasn't running) It made me smile so big! It's awesome when you cross paths with a fellow runner and they say a silent hello. If I had some motrin and a fresh bottle of water, I could have kept going a few more miles, but the heat of the day was fast approaching, so I reluctantly stopped.

I genuinely look forward to our travels because of the new and exciting roads to run on. Everyone kept suggesting that since I was on vacation I should take a break from running. I had to remind them that part of the reason I'm on vacation is to go running! I guess you just have the bug or you don't.

Taking Time Off

After allowing my body to recover a little, I put on an old pair of running shoes (cause I lost one during the race) and tried to go for a run on Sunday. At first, it was like trying to lug around two huge tree trunks. My legs felt heavy, I was breathing really hard, my ipod was broken - so it was just me, God and my broken body. I only ran about two miles and decided to call it a day. I felt like I had never run before in my life.

A couple days later I tried again. This time, I took Kacie for a walk in the jogger down through the harbor. I mostly walked, with a bit of jogging here and there. I still didn't have my new shoes yet so I was out there with no support under my ridiculously flat feet, and they were beginning to get sore. By the time I made it home, I was limping again. I need to take more time off.

My new shoes came yesterday YEAH! I can't wait to take them for a run - or a walk rather. My legs feel sore all the time. I think because I'm not running. Now I know what everyone feels like when they talk about having to take time off from injury. It pretty much sucks.