Me & Garmin Reunited!

A lot has gone on since I last wrote.  Let me give you a quick update on what's gone on in my life in the last 4 months...
In January I ran the Disney Marathon (YAY, so fun!) and the very next day after getting back from our vacation, my husband and I moved from Alabama to Ohio.  We were living at my grandma's old house (she built a new one and wasn't living in the old one) which was so kind of her but the neighborhood wasn't exactly runner friendly.  Every other house said "Beware of Dog" and there were those certain individuals you wouldn't wouldn't want to stumble upon while running alone.  A couple weeks ago when the weather finally started getting nice, I drove to the park thinking I was going to do some trail running.  I was wrong.  There were about two dozen men in orange jumpsuits doing landscaping with armed cops!  I wasn't in the mood to run through the woods by myself!
In the last couple days, however, we moved into a lovely new apartment in a beautiful and safe part of town.  We've been unpacking boxes and boxes and boxes!  It feels good to go through everything and get organized finally!  I'll post pictures soon :)
So, the good news is that I can finally leave my front door and run around like I used to be able to!  I'm also loving this spring weather.  I made plans with my sweet new friend/neighbor/coworker Andrea to go for a run today.  She's newly into running and I'm hoping that she'll run the Air Force Half with me and Jerry. 
Meet Andrea!

I slept in which was much needed after the big move.  I had my usual two cups of coffee and my new favorite breakfast:  plain oatmeal with fresh cut strawberries.  Yum!  It was starting to rain and the clouds looked dark but we decided to go anyway.  The winds were fierce!  It sprinkled for about half a mile and then the clouds broke and sunshine came through!  The weather ended up being beautiful and a perfect 65 degrees.  Andrea ran the first 2 miles with me and then I finished the last 3 by myself. 

Overall time:  46:31

Overall pace:  9:22

Not too bad for not being able to do much outdoor running in the last four months!  Andrea did great!  She'll have no problem increasing her mileage soon.  This run was honestly blissful for me.  It was so great for me to be back outside with my Garmin!  There are plenty of hills (I secretly love hills) in the neighborhood.  The smells of fresh cut grass and all the flowers were wonderful.  I even ran without my iPod!  I can't wait to get back out there tomorrow!

How are your spring runs going?  Are you doing any spring/summer races?

The next race I'm running in is the Air Force Half with Jerry and then a full marathon in North Carolina in November with my Uncle (I'm not sure the name of it yet).  I'd like to find another half this spring or summer and maybe a 10K.  Do you have any suggestions for the Ohio area?

Leah B.