Please stay for the entire post. At the conclusion of my story you will be treated to my amateur photography skills, as I attempt to capture the first tiny signs of Spring!
I kinda look like a runner!
My plan to wake up early was successful! I puttered around the house for over an hour, drinking tea, cleaning the kitchen, playing with the pup, and all of the other things I love to do in the morning on my days off.
The temps were in the upper 40's and although it was chilly when I took my dog out, I resisted the strong urge to wear a jacket on my run. It was a good decision because I warmed right up about 10 minutes into it. Due to the fact that 6 miles took an insanely long hour and a half I planned to bring my own water with me. I voted to wear my Camelbak Alterra. It's a hydration system that goes around one's waist. I know, how can I wear this contraption around my waist if I can't even run with a jacket around my waist? All I can say is that there is no reason to my idiosyncrases. The Camelbak annoys the heck out of me, and leaks on account of the fact that it is over 5 years old (I did run back then). After this run, I decided that I may have to permanently retire it. This saddens me for some reason because I have had it for a long time and it was purchased by my parents on a family trip to Hawaii. Weird that throwing away inanimate objects makes me sad. But I digress! Although I started out feeling strong, I was having some stomach issues. Due to the fact that this could easily happen during the actual marathon I simply kept going. I began to notice all of these weird buildings and structures that I had never seen while driving or even being a passenger. There was a brand new set of condos tucked behind the power company, a pretty bridge down the road, and a sidewalk that went behind a grove of trees for a few hundred yards. I was enjoying my musings when all of the sudden a squirrel jumped out from that lovely grove, right in front of 
my feet. AHHHH! I am not exaggerating for the purpose of this post when I say that I almost stepped on it. Immediately I recalled this story a co-worker once shared: It was a calm day at work when all of the sudden everyone was running around and yelling. Upon investigation she discovered that a guy went out to throw some garbage in the dumpster when a frightened squirrel leaped onto his face!!! I assure you that this is no urban legend, she was there! Luckily, the guy recovered without any outward damage. Let this be a lesson to you unassuming citizens, never underestimate what a terrified squirrel will do. Now I was on edge, on the lookout for a squirrel attack. Thankfully, I made it out of what was once considered a "cute" piece of sidewalk through some trees. I'm plodding along when I think I hear people. I whip around and there is a couple schlepping along behind me. I am slow, and often get passed, which doesn't bother me in the slightest. I do find it irritating though, when people just hang out behind me talking. I kept moving over so they had ample room to pass and yet they would not yield. Just go around you idiots! Up ahead a saw a problem brewing. On our side of the road coming in the opposite direction was another jogger and a cyclist. My trio and the cyclist were following proper traffic rules but what was the other rogue jogger doing?! Three runners, a shuffler, and a cyclist all heading for a shoulder passing of doom. Right before we were to awkwardly make our way around/through each other without getting hit by cars the morons behind me decided that it is time to make their move and pass me. Well at least the tailgate party was gone. Unscathed, I made my way to the paved path off the road. So far, so good. At this point I had to backtrack and add an extra 15 minutes to my route. I hadn't driven around to see where 7 miles would take me so I therefore added 15 minutes to my 6 mile loop in hopes that it would equate 7 miles. At this point I had been shuffling and walking for 45 minutes and established the fact that it was time to have some caffeine free, strawberry banana GU. I was about to discover if this was yummy or yucky. I felt like Popeye with a can of spinach as I ripped open the little pack and proceeded to squeeze some of the contents onto my mouth. Ummm, it was okay. Rather tasty actually, but it did take some practice getting down the hatch. I also had to dispense with my gum which I wasn't not happy about. I love chewing gum on my runs. Tissues for allergies and gum are essentials on every run. It ended up not being a catastrophe because the night before I had a cracked tooth fixed and I wasn't really able to chew the gum very well in the first place. Continuing, I was still feeling great. The GU had kicked in and it was a nice little boost. I was way past the half-way point and thoroughly enjoying myself. The air smelled fresh and new green growth was seen in abundance. I wished that I had my camera but then I would have never finished my run. On the side of the road by the woods I saw a giant, green, glass jug. It looked as if it was from another decade. I wondered if there was a tribe of wine making gypsies behind the chain link fence. Come to think of it, why was there a fence here anyway? When I surmised that I had about I mile left I decided to run the whole thing, even the meandering, deceptively difficult hill at the end. Then I was done. YAY seven miles! That is by far the most that I have ever ran in many years. Once again, I felt a little tired but strong at the end. I even finished faster that I had predicted.
my feet. AHHHH! I am not exaggerating for the purpose of this post when I say that I almost stepped on it. Immediately I recalled this story a co-worker once shared: It was a calm day at work when all of the sudden everyone was running around and yelling. Upon investigation she discovered that a guy went out to throw some garbage in the dumpster when a frightened squirrel leaped onto his face!!! I assure you that this is no urban legend, she was there! Luckily, the guy recovered without any outward damage. Let this be a lesson to you unassuming citizens, never underestimate what a terrified squirrel will do. Now I was on edge, on the lookout for a squirrel attack. Thankfully, I made it out of what was once considered a "cute" piece of sidewalk through some trees. I'm plodding along when I think I hear people. I whip around and there is a couple schlepping along behind me. I am slow, and often get passed, which doesn't bother me in the slightest. I do find it irritating though, when people just hang out behind me talking. I kept moving over so they had ample room to pass and yet they would not yield. Just go around you idiots! Up ahead a saw a problem brewing. On our side of the road coming in the opposite direction was another jogger and a cyclist. My trio and the cyclist were following proper traffic rules but what was the other rogue jogger doing?! Three runners, a shuffler, and a cyclist all heading for a shoulder passing of doom. Right before we were to awkwardly make our way around/through each other without getting hit by cars the morons behind me decided that it is time to make their move and pass me. Well at least the tailgate party was gone. Unscathed, I made my way to the paved path off the road. So far, so good. At this point I had to backtrack and add an extra 15 minutes to my route. I hadn't driven around to see where 7 miles would take me so I therefore added 15 minutes to my 6 mile loop in hopes that it would equate 7 miles. At this point I had been shuffling and walking for 45 minutes and established the fact that it was time to have some caffeine free, strawberry banana GU. I was about to discover if this was yummy or yucky. I felt like Popeye with a can of spinach as I ripped open the little pack and proceeded to squeeze some of the contents onto my mouth. Ummm, it was okay. Rather tasty actually, but it did take some practice getting down the hatch. I also had to dispense with my gum which I wasn't not happy about. I love chewing gum on my runs. Tissues for allergies and gum are essentials on every run. It ended up not being a catastrophe because the night before I had a cracked tooth fixed and I wasn't really able to chew the gum very well in the first place. Continuing, I was still feeling great. The GU had kicked in and it was a nice little boost. I was way past the half-way point and thoroughly enjoying myself. The air smelled fresh and new green growth was seen in abundance. I wished that I had my camera but then I would have never finished my run. On the side of the road by the woods I saw a giant, green, glass jug. It looked as if it was from another decade. I wondered if there was a tribe of wine making gypsies behind the chain link fence. Come to think of it, why was there a fence here anyway? When I surmised that I had about I mile left I decided to run the whole thing, even the meandering, deceptively difficult hill at the end. Then I was done. YAY seven miles! That is by far the most that I have ever ran in many years. Once again, I felt a little tired but strong at the end. I even finished faster that I had predicted.Start: 7:33 a.m.
Finish: 9:09 a.m.
SPRING Has Sprung
These are mainly pictures of weeds and little things but they are green!
My Grandpa was allergic to forsythia and I cannot help but to recall fond memories of him whenever I see it.
This tree obviously has no leaves yet but I will enjoy taking pictures of it weekly to observe the changes 
haha. i love the funny pics of you and your expressions! haha. the nature pics aren't bad either.
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