5, 4, 3, 2, 1

Hello Dear Reader,

Let me tell you about 5, 4, 3, 2, and 1. It's an interesting story, really!:

Five (5)...5:00 am is for the time I started running this morning. For some unfortunate reason, Couch Potato #2 was having stomach issues all night and woke me up at 4:00 am. After letting him out for a much needed potty break, I figured...what the heck...I'm already up...why not get to stepping...running actually. Getting a head start before the sun and the masses spilling into the city makes for a pleasant run. If the spirit moves me enough, my goal is to wake up earlier in the mornings so that I'm able to increase my daily mileage.

Four (4) is for the number of miles I ran this morning- 4.51 miles (7.2 k) to be exact. Instead of cutting through side streets like I normally do, I made a big loop around down town- Past the mall, down towards the border, through the industrial area, past the gym (I wonder if Mad-dog Trainer and New (old) Trainer saw me), and next to the national referral hospital. A nice route, considering that1/3 of it was down hill!

Three (3) is for the number of kilos I'd like to lose before I hit my "goal weight". Since I haven't been to the gym in a minute, I haven't had the benefit of Mad-dog Trainer's routine physical assessment. A couple of months ago, I purchased a home scale but, because the manual scale never wanted to start at zero, I was never able to get an accurate read on my weight. This morning, after fiddling with it, I managed to get squared up. If the scale is accurate (and the one at the gym too), since starting this whole running thing, I've lost 10 lbs (5kg). ***Dani pumps both fists in the air and softly hums "The eye of the tiger"!!!*** And it's not just the scale that's taking notice. On Saturday, I was out partying with a group of friends, when a person I haven't seen in a while walked up. Before even saying hello, the first thing that came out of his mouth was, "Wow, you've lost a lot of weight!" To which I replied, "Yes, hello to you too! And thanks!" Last week, my co-workers even started to take notice....even the one who, a couple of months ago, said she couldn't see a change. Thank you very much!

Two (2) is for two of my most favorite people and biggest supporters in my secondary project (aka running) and in life in general who will be visiting me in six more days. I speak to at least one of my parental units, if not both, on a daily basis. They've endured more running-talk than what should be allowable by law. Being the wonderful parents that they are, they graciously listen to me babble about my bloated ankle, the merits of running up Half Moon Road instead of down Moshoeshoe Road (as if they even know what I'm talking about), gym-related gossip, and my weekly progress. In fact, this morning I had my father examine (with me) the running route I completed on Sunday, and proceeded to explain in detail every curve, bump and lump in the road. During their visit, I actually contemplated having them follow me in the car as I show them that I can really run. That's fun, right? No? Oh... Yes, I do have wonderful parents. In fact, my parents are so sweet that they are bringing me a few running goodies- a water belt (aka a runner's fanny pack) so that I can stay hydrated during my runs and a running skirt! Yes...you heard me correctly...I said a running skirt. Yes, I'm sure that every.single.solitary.man.woman.child.dog will be staring at me...but I don't care! Yes...I will be able to say that "Girls do it better in skirts". It even has a pocket for keys and things. ***Dani has visions of doing the Irish River Dance in her running skirt and will talk about her running skirt and will take pictures in her running skirt***

PS: My legs are gonna look like that one day!

One (1) is for one God awful farmer's tan I have developed. Now that I'm spending a lot of time outside, the cute little running pants and ankle socks that give one the impression that my legs are a little longer and a little more toned, now leave me with a section of my shin and calf muscle that is significantly darker than the rest of my leg. My shoulders are one color and the rest of my arms look as though they belong to a different body. My right arm, in fact, is a bit sunburned. Oops, I guess that I've been running in the gym too long that I forgot that running outside requires different preparation: ensuring that the running route has a bathroom embedded within, water/water/water/water station, protection from the (misleading) weather/sun: hat and sun screen. I'm learning!

Well, that's all I have for now.

Until next time...one foot in front of the other! Keep it movin'! (My friend Jami and her roomie just started training for a road race. She told me that my little mantra was giving her a little inspiration. ***Dani pumps both fists in the air thinking that, finally, she is achieving world domination*** Jokes! Love you Jami and keep it movin'!!!)

Yours in training,

Dani

P.S. I'm getting nervous about my 1/2 marathon coming up this Saturday....4 more days!!!...There I go counting again!