Three hundred miles down! :)

Wow. Two tough runs today.

I ran this morning with Katherine. We went on campus and ran for about an hour and fifteen minutes or a little more than that. It was a tough run though, because it was really windy for the majority of the run. It seemed like whatever happened, the wind was against us, though. No matter what direction we turned, the wind was fighting us. My pacing was a little bit slower than what I like, but we got some decent mileage in, considering the weather and it was nice to be out running again. With work and graduation, I haven't run in a few days. I really need to work on pushing myself through and continuing to run, even if it's just a few miles, on days when I'd rather just go to bed early. I've set myself to this huge goal, so I'd really like to be able to follow through. I know that I can. It's just about mind over matter, I guess. haha. Sometimes I'd just rather not get up and go for a run.

It's weird struggling with running this way. I've always been someone that pushes through and does what is needed to be done. It's difficult to continue running when I have so much other stuff going on. I do make running a priority, but it's not the highest on my priority list. I think that I would feel a lot more motivated if I had more time or if I had a race that I could run. I have several that I'm thinking about. I did register for Goofy's Challenge, but that's not until January. I want to be able to push myself to do a race or two this summer. I know that there's nothing like the high after finishing a race. It has been six months since my last one, so I feel like I haven't had that feeling or that motivation in such a long time. It has been tough.

There are so many ways that I can motivate myself and I know that I will finish all of these goals that I have set. I know that I'm a person that can and will follow through with what I want and what I need. Sometimes, it's just difficult. I've worked myself to exhaustion for the past year. Now I just need to focus on getting back to myself again. By doing that, I'm going to set goals for myself, but it doesn't have to be like it has been. I'm not going to have three jobs and go to school full time all at once. That was insane. Right now I'm working and I've graduated, but I'm not working nearly as much as I have. That gives me a lot of free time... to run. haha.

One thing that I love about running is that I can think so clearly. When I run with soeone else, it's nice to be able to talk and have someone to help push me along, but when I'm running by myself, it's wonderful to be able to think. I don't have a lot of time to just think about things, so it's nice to be able to do that. I used to only run inside and I would hate running outside. I spent too much time in the gym. Now, though, being outside is calming and relaxing. I feel more like I can run at my own pace and exercise in the way that I want to for myself. That's something that I definitely enjoy.

Next week, Katherine and I are going to Orlando to check out an apartment and hopefully make a deposit and secure our spot for moving down there. I'm looking forward to the little trip, even though it'll be quick and short and... busy. However, I'm excited that I'll be able to run a little in Orlando, where I'll be living in just three short months. Well, two and a half at this point, or almost. Wow. I'm not going to have a lot of time to run, but I'd like to go out and run a little bit once or twice in the four days that we'll be gone. I'm definitely going to try it out.

Anyways, my second run was by myself and was 2.7 miles. It was nice to be able to run alone and with a running partner in one day. For my run, I stayed around here and ran a few miles away from my apartment complex, through some parking lots, and back. I wanted it to be a quick run, because I have other stuff going on tonight- like a shower and grocery shopping. haha. (and reading! I've missed reading.) I pushed myself pretty hard, even though I was tired from running this morning. I'm glad that I was able to finish my goal run out. I considered running three miles, but I was just exhausted, honestly. I'm still tired. Tomorrow, I'm going to run again. Two days in a row. Be impressed!

I'm excited to announce that I'm officially an alum. I earned my two Bachelor's of Arts Degrees at the end of last week. (Well, officially, my grades were posted today, though I had no fear of not graduating. All A's and B's.) Graduation was a lot of fun on Saturday and I'm pretty excited to move onto the next step in my life..... grad school! Haha. :) 2010 is proving to be a huge year for me.

...aaaand 300 miles down! I'm like 200 miles behind, but that's not too bad, considering my runs are getting longer and my endurance is getting better!

Goal: 1000 miles/365 days
So far: 306.02 miles/185 days
To go: 693.98 miles/180 days