Auld Lang Syne

This morning, I went for a beautiful long run, on a route I'd created (favoriterun.com) almost a year ago but never attempted because it seemed too long, too hilly, too ambitious. It was hilly, to be sure - I ended up walking up a lot of the monstrous ones, a fact I'd like to blame on that facist heart rate monitor but I have to concede I would have walked many of them even if I was running at my "preferred pace". It was a gorgeous morning - 52 (shorts and t-shirt weather), partly sunny, the birds were signing. It was beyond marvelous. And I was only bothered every 15 minutes or so by how freaking slow I was moving (facist heart rate monitor). On the last 20 minutes or so of the run, I just gave up and cruised at my "preferred pace". Still slow, but at least it feels natural. At least I'm not being passed by infants on their tricycles and wheezing 80 year old men. The run took me down to the entrance of a State Park near us, through hills and trees and downright woodsy terrain. I can't think of a better way to have spent the last morning of 2006.

At one point, a pack of cyclist whirred past me. They took the hill I was laboring on at a seemingly effortless pace. They were a thing of beauty, all moving together, so quick and silent it was like they were flying. Someday, I want to look like that on my bike. Someday.

Yesterday's swim also went well. I did a ladder workout again - 25, 50,75, 100, 125, 150, 175, 200. Then, drum roll please, I finished it off by swimming a 400. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I swam 400 yards without stopping. For me, that is a big deal. Also lovely, as it is the distance for my first race in May. I will grant you that I would like to swim that 400 much more swiftly, but its nice to know I'll be able to do it.

My bike ride was less graceful, but I kept at it for an hour, hitting some pretty impressive hills. I learned at the bike shop that a road bike will be easier to get up the hills than Old Bessy (my mountain bike). That's encouraging. And maybe a stint of training on Old Bessy will be good for my legs - get them stronger and better able to endure the big miles. We'll see. Hubby remembered yesterday that his friend, Bob and his wife used to do a lot of biking, and that they have a couple of road bikes hanging in the garage that never get used. Hmmmm. He put in a call to Bob to see if he'd be open to renting them to us, possibly selling. Could be a solution.

Happy New Year to the whole world. I hope the good things of this year are multiplied and the bad things diminished. I hope that our journey leads us to places we'd never dreamed possible.