Since it's just me and you in here...

Hello Dear Reader,

This morning, I woke up with a smile on my face, because it's not only Hump Day, but a public holiday too! And if that's not good enough, the weather gods cooperated enough for me to consider getting in a morning run!

I slapped on my running gear (Garmin and jazzy pink iPod, too) and hit the road. The run down the hill I live on to join my regular route should have given me a clue that, for whatever reason (most likely cause I'm out of shape), this was not going to be a good run. I don't know...I just felt a bit awkward...like I didn't have a good stride...and my shins were sore. True, that was only a few steps into what was supposed to be a 10 km run, but I just didn't feel good about it. As I said, my stride was off, but my focus was off too...thrown off by all of the extra jiggling going on in my arm, midsection and bum area. www.notcuteatall.com/jiggle. You know what I'm sayin?

My feelings were kinda hurt, but you know, I have no one else to blame but myself...for backsliding like I have. I worked very hard to get to where I want to be...but the comforting thing is that I know how to get back there...with focus, determination, and the the realization that I did it before.

Two miles into a planned 6 mile run, my feelings got the worst of me...so I started walking. And I'm not talking walk-in-the-park-on-a-Sunday-afternoon-type-walk. I walked like Ms. Sofia when she uttered the frequently repeated (by me) line, "You told Harpo tah beat me!", in the award-winning, epic drama "The Color Purple". For those who don't know what I'm talking about, I was walking like someone stole my bike...fast walkin'!

So I fast-walked all the way home telling myself the whole way that I will do all that I can to 1) get back to where I was and better (cause I know I can be better than I was) and 2) not backslide again, cause I don't like the feeling of letting myself down, jiggling all over the place, and feeling like I'm starting from scratch.

But even if it wasn't that 5.1 mile-feelin-great run that I had on Sunday, at least it was something. And I'm not going to stop! www.adeterminedblackwoman.com

Well, that's what all I've got for now. I hope that you find some type of learning lesson in my hills and valleys, Dear Reader. If exercising was always fun, everyone would be doing it!

Until next time...one foot in front of the other...keep it movin'!

Yours in (getting my mojo back) training,

Dani