Mmmm...endorphins...

Hi!

Today was the 5 mile run with the Pfit group (I should start calling it VFit, since I'm running on the Vancouver side, but, oh well) , and it went swimmingly. Our route was a gradual uphill the first four miles that wound by a military base and through a pretty college campus (oh, the cherry blossoms were spectacular!) and the last mile was a steep downhill. I am so proud that I made it up all the hilly parts without stopping, even though I haven't encountered such hills before. I was running in a cluster with about 5 other folks, and even though we didn't talk much to each other, it was really comforting having them around. I've decided that I really like running with other people- something about it just feels very right. Maybe it's an evolutionary thing. Maybe we were all gazelles in a former life. Yeah, that must be it.

Anyway, I don't think this was the elusive 'runners high' people talk about, but after about 3 miles, I began to feel tingly and a little chilled (in a good way) and all of a sudden, I wanted to run up to someone and tell them something like "this is so much fun!, and isn't everything beautiful today!" But my better judgement prevented me from looking like a total dunderhead (but I know I had a stupid grin on my face for at least a half a mile).

I only really felt tired at around mile 4.5, at which point my body started to put the brakes on, because, well, that's about as far as I've ever run. It started in on that whole annoying refrain again, what the !@#$ are you doing, idiot? This is waaay too far! Of course that just made me want to run faster. Stupid voice. It should know better.

So our little gaggle finished in exactly one hour. And what that means is my pace has finally increased from really slooow to just plain slow. Woop woop! And for those of you that need a little help with the math, that's a 12 minute mile, and I was holding back a bit. Nothin to write home about (obviously doesn't stop me though), but it's a little bitty milestone (heh, get it?) for me. Previously, my not pushing it pace was closer to a 13 min/mile. Now I can at least run faster than most (but not all) of the walkers out there.

After the run was over, and we were all laid out in the parking lot stretching, a lovely girl in my red group introduced herself to me, and we chatted a bit, so I may have a new friend!

Oh, and one other thing- I have been having issues with my head feeling like it's overheating, so I cut my hair off. (sorry, no pictures will be posted yet) And you know what? I didn't even cry because it's kinda cute! B even said it looked good, which is something, cause he never gives compliments. And the running with my newly shorn Joan of Arc hair-do? It was dee-vine. I love it.