Rewind. Do Over.

The arm twisting and triathlon back in July didn't end well.  It was an accomplishment.  The weeks that followed were not all that fun.  As a result I missed out some perfect August evenings and runs around Cascade Lake.  For weeks on end in July I trained for that triathlon in 90 degree temperatures.  With sweat dripping into my eyes, I zoned out pretending the temps were in the 70s or even low 80s.  While I fought through the early weeks of recovery and tried out a few pain killers before being prescribed Michael Jackson's death drug,the temperatures dialed back and the weather gods offered up my ideal running weather.  At this point I couldn't even bend over to tie my running shoes.  I was frustrated with the doctors and annoyed that I was immobile.  I was jealous of all the runners on the trail each night as I could barely let the dog out for a potty break.

10 weeks later I have managed to increase my walking mileage up to 3 miles.  This week we've been given a little gift.  One last rendezvous with summer, specifically those August nights that I spent in bed instead of on the running trail.  Tonight I decided to take that leap and turn the walk into a run.  I was anxious.  A web of worry - that I wouldn't remember how to run and that I'd be in pain.  After a minute or so I found my groove and fell into a rhythm.  The warm temperature allowed me to break a sweat without having to worry about my eyes stinging.  The pain free strides allowed me to clear my head.  The worry was trumped by relief.

Rarely we are allowed a do over.  I got lucky tonight.  And it felt great.  If my lucky streak continues (or rather the weatherman is right) I'll get a chance to repeat tonight a few more times this week.  Fingers crossed.