RUN TWO AND NEW SHOES

Well I can say we've been on two runs now and the 2nd went much better than the first. I told Murph to take us up to his pace, which he laughed at but we ran that fast for all of a few seconds then I settled into a slower pace. What I was aiming for was to get my body moving faster, I never seem to be able to consistently run faster than 10:00 min/miles, and it worked! We finished the same 2 mile loop we did last week in 18:51 taking my pace to 9:25 min/miles. I won't call it progress since it happened one time but knowing I can move faster is nice to see. Not to mention being thoroughly out of breath at the end of our run proved I worked a little harder this time

I do think that my new kicks probably aided in my speed, or at least they should have for the price! I had been getting some pain in my knees and ankles and decided new shoes were in order so I will be putting my next 500 miles on these. The Asics Gel Nimbus 14. And yes that is the color I got them in :) I hit up Fitness Sports with Murph and after a few jogs through their hall decided that I would try Asics out again. They are squishly, lightweight, and yes, super hot pink. The backs gave me some blisters already but I hope to have them broken in soon and think they will be a great shoe for me.

ON THE RUN

Murph loves a good workout. Me, well not so much. Typically any sort of fitness routine requires me to have a partner to become successful, otherwise I find something better to do, like eat raw cookie dough or grab a blizzard from DQ, or even play solitaire on the iPad (which is my newest addiction, like solitaire is a new fad or something). Taking this into account I decided I needed something to work for and told Murph we should train for the Des Moines 1/2 marathon. Lofty goals I have. Anywho, after some convincing and reminding that I am not a fast runner I got Murph to agree.

This is the point where he says, "We've gone on 1 run, let's not say we've truly committed to a 1/2 marathon Les". But it's true. Last night we laced up our kicks and took Willy along for our first family run (well 2nd we tried once this Spring and I was not having it). I chose to start with 2 miles, and hope to get myself in a 2-3 mile groove for a bit before we officially start a training schedule. Running with the Hubs and Pooch is good because I won't give up, but watching your dog move at a pace slightly faster than our typical walks is frustrating and having Murph try and keep up with my blistering 10:00 / mile pace is a strain for him ... ok not at all, he is struggling to run at my speed which is 2:00 / mile slower than his typical pace. I also must mention there was one point where we were headed up a long but not very steep hill where Willy stopped to turn and look at me like, "what's the hold up?!" ... twice. I guess that's motivation for you!

Although, I felt like we were cruising along last night at a faster clip than usual, of course we rolled in right at 20:45 UGH. Murph did comment that I was not out of breath at all so we could go faster, so that was reassuring. Either way I was happy we did a family run, it hopefully can be a great thing we do together most nights and can enjoy together. I am lucky to have Murph by my side, and WillyDog out in front. Even if the 1/2 marathon doesn't come into fruition we will be doing the Des Moines Color Run on October 6th, a 5k so that is something to look forward to. As motivation and to give you all a good laugh I will re-post one of my favorite photos of me running .... or should I say speed walking at the Drake 8k. Hahaha, good times.

HI THERE, YOU MADE IT!

Welcome to Hawthorn Drive! A big new adventure called for a new blog so here we are! This is me and the Hubs, Murph in the photo. We met online, fell in love and got married 18 months later, it was the easiest thing I've ever done :) We are opposites, but like peanut butter and jelly we go great together. We love God, and know deep in our hearts He brought us together. We also love working on our home and yard, walking our dog and have a mutual love of all things sweet. We disagree on who is the better college football team in the state and I will not be becoming a Hawkeye fan any time soon ... or ever for that matter!

This is WillyDog, our lovable pup we adopted a year ago. He's a handful and loves attention, but is a big lover and gives some of the best cuddles out there. He hates dancing and my singing, loves tennis balls, his Wubba and long walks through our neighborhood. Don't know how we would live without that face.  

But you probably know all that about us already. After we got married, I moved in to Murph's house on Hawthorn Drive and now we are building a life together and working to make this place home, I couldn't be more excited! Stay tuned, there will be much more to come and many memories to capture here at Hawthorn Drive.