Successful training day

Today's mission:  walk 12 miles before the 100+ degree weather sets in.  In order to achieve this goal, I woke up at 5:00am.

Yep.   5.  As in, "in the morning".   Those who know me are surprised and shocked, I know. ;-)

After a quick breakfast, my husband and I set out around 5:30.  The sun was not yet over the trees, and the skies were blue-gray with pink streaks in the few clouds that were on the horizon.  As we walked through the neighborhood, we saw some deer running into the woods, and heard some lawn sprinklers running, but otherwise all was still.   The morning was comfortably cool -- or rather, not hot.  We walked a little over an hour before heading home for a pit stop.  At 6:45am, we had already completed 4 miles.  Woohoo!

After a quick break, we headed back out, this time walking 2.5 miles to the local bagel shop.  By this time, the sun was up and so were the temperatures.  We got to the bagel shop, had a nice second breakfast, and stocked up on Gatorade for the walk home.  By the time we headed back the sun was just downright hot.  Whew!   That, combined with the hillier terrain on our route, made this morning's walk much more difficult than the walking we had done in Oklahoma or California on vacation.  We got home around 8:45am and were pretty well exhausted.

This was when I seriously considered stopping for the day.  After all, we had done 9 miles already.  I was developing blisters.  My legs were really sore.  I was very tired.  and hot.  and beginning to get whiny.

But I thought about it.  I thought that if I stopped, then I'd be disappointed in myself, and I'd regret it.

So we went back out for another 3 miles.  And man oh man.  It was hard!  I was totally wiped out.  We both were so tired and hot.  I told Dave that this is the first time in this training routine that I really felt like I was having to push myself beyond my limits.  I wanted to just stop - just sit right on the grass under a tree and be done.  Maybe sit in someone's sprinkler.  I got a little complainy for a minute.  But then, I figured, what's the point of that? No one is making me do this, I volunteered.  So buck up and walk!

So, we completed our final three miles.  When we got home, it was 91 degrees, with a heat index of 98 degrees. Oh.  My.  Gosh.

No wonder!

After a quick shower, I headed back to bed and slept for 2 1/2 hours.  The rest of the day I felt great.  And proud.    And thankful to Dave for walking with me.

:-)