Run like someone's chasing you

We ran Forest Park this afternoon and one thing is for sure: I have A LOT of work to do before I can run 13.1 miles, let alone do it in under 2 hours. We ran from Steinberg ice rink to the corner of Clayton and Skinker and back (which I have to point out is the hardest part of the park) and it basically kicked my ass. My muscles felt fine, but I couldn't catch my breath and I realize that I haven't run so hard that I though I was going to puke in a long time. We must have been running faster than normal. Which is good. Neither of us are wearing watches. The battery to mine died a long time ago and I tried to replace it but couldn't. Oh well, I'm liking not running with a watch. It seems to make me go faster.

It's now 9:00. Eight hours after the run and my heart rate is still recovering. That's good. It's the way it should be.

Starting Out

Well, I wouldn't call it a New Year's Resolution exactly (because I always make them and I never complete them) but I have it in my head that I am going to run the St. Louis Half Marathon this April. I am not new to running, so this should be no big deal. But it is a big deal, because while I've run 5 half marathons in the past, each one has been slower and more painful than the last. So this time I'm going to train not just to finish but to finish well.

There's also this other thing about fitting into my black dress. It's a long story but basically, my other (real) goal is to fit back into the cute black cocktail dress I have been hanging on to for the past nine years because I keep telling myself that someday I will wear it again. Yes, I will wear it and I will have somewhere very glamorous to go in it....