Mile 8.5: Caught in the Rain

My goal of running took a serious hit when the weather chilled. But the weather actually feels nice again so I've been running (and procrastinating).

The other day I got caught in the rain while running and it was awesome. It's actually the first time that's ever happened to me, as I'm usually so against running that any sign of bad weather sends me back to the couch and my knitting.

Not only was it great to feel a little tough and get rained on, but I loved the smells of running in the rain! When Snelling was here a few weeks ago she said she was looking forward to running in Minneapolis instead of Chicago. I was intrigued, because Snelling runs in some pretty awesome places when she runs in Chicago, but she said that she was just really looking forward to the smells of running in Minneapolis, the fresh air, grass, rain, that remind you in the deepest sense that it is, in fact, spring.

So, as I conquered mile 8.5 (remember, this is a total mileage count not a per-run mileage count) I was glad for the cool down, the smells and I enjoyed being caught in the rain.

My Minnesota Mile Count: 8.5

New Spring Hobbies

It is finals season, and the weather's warming up which means I am in full procrastination mode and I'm finding all kinds of new hobbies!

My first new hobby is knitting. A few weeks ago I attended a retreat and one of the attorneys was knitting a beautiful sweater and had a magazine full of great looking knitting patterns and I was inspired! I have since taken up knitting and I AM LOVING IT! Due to my hectic schedule the weekly classes don't work out out for me right now, but thanks to the miracle that is YouTube, my knitting books and a new friend, I have mastered the two basic stitches: the knit stitch and the purl stitch! Calhoun and I are expecting our first niece to arrive some time in May and I'm hoping that by the time she's ready to be wearing something more than a onesie I'll have the skills to knit some cute baby booties and hats! Here is what I've managed so far:

My second new hobby is running. Now, I'm not sure that it can be categorized as "new" - every spring I think I'm going to be a runner and I mysteriously fail to really pick it up - but I have adopted a new incentive structure this spring. I love to shop and I don't really love to run, so I have decided that I will be giving myself a dollar to spend on running clothes for every mile I put on my shoes.

And, there's some healthy social pressure happening here. As the years progress, the women around me increasingly become runners. Not only are the ladies casual runners, there are a few of them who are actually marathon runners! The fact is, I'm interested in keeping up. Uptown writes her blog about her triathlon training, Cedar ran a Boston qualifying marathon last summer in Duluth and Snelling is training for her first marathon this summer in Minneapolis. And they're not the only ones, they're just the ones that write about it! Keeping up with these ladies is a primary goal of mine!

My Minnesota Mile Count: 4