Less is So Much More

My foot has been feeling better, so I decided to give cabin fever the finger and try a few miles out and back on Wednesday.  To my relief, the two miles were completely pain-free.  I'm hoping to be really back in the swing of things by Pat's Run in a few weeks.  If the doctor says I'm good to go on Monday, I'll be adding the trails back in to the mix next weekend.
I signed the entire family up for Pat's Run this year.  The Husband ran it with me last year (and to my dismay, ran it faster than I did with little to no training), but HRH went to the zoo with my mother-in-law.  This time, she's signed up for the kids' .42 mile run.  We're currently debating who's going to run the 4.2 miler and who will stay back with her.  I'd insist on being the one to run the longer distance (I was the one who signed us up, after all), but my foot is definitely a part of the conversation right now.
HRH is excited, to say the least, at the idea of going to a race with Mommy.  Even though she knows I come back from runs smelling like a goat a wilted rose, she wants to get out there with me.
So, the other night, we put on our gear, slipped the Halti on Zooey, and headed out for a run around the neighborhood.

It might not have been easy running with a 4YO
and an excited coonhound, but it was worth it!

At first, I figured we'd just run a loop - down to the last street in the neighborhood, around and back, but HRH wanted to keep going, so we made our way back by zig-zagging up the streets, saying hello to anyone passing by and taking frequent water breaks in order to stay properly hydrated.

In the end, we ran 1.12 miles, and by we, I mean just that - we both did.  HRH never stopped to walk or asked to go home before we actually got home.  And she had that big grin on her face the entire time.  I can't deny that I had a big, proud mama grin myself; this was the best, most fun, happiest mile I've ever run.

Until she went to bed, HRH kept commenting on our run: "That was totally fun, Mommy!" and "I liked going on a run with you!"  And five minutes after I put her to bed, she was out like a light.

And the next day, she asked if we could go again.

I'm not planning on taking HRH for a seven-mile trail run any time soon, but I certainly am going to start adding in more of these evening, 14-minute-mile jaunts through our neighborhood and perhaps at the park down the street.

Watch out, Boston 2030 - there's a qualifier coming your way!