It's worth it

 Week two was a success. I continue to surprise myself.

I completed a 5K in under 36 minutes. That was my goal for May, and I've already done it. I ran four miles without stopping. I'm still trying to figure out how I did that, but I'm not complaining. I honestly feel like four might be my max for jogging without stopping, but only time and my body will tell. I could tell that my legs really wanted to stop around mile 2.5 this past Saturday, but my mind wouldn't let them. I think there's a certain breaking point, and I'm only going to push it so far. I need to keep my body healthy and injury free.

The Midwest weather has kept me on my toes. I ran in temperatures ranging from 34 - 70 degrees last week. My knees are tired of it and so am I. That said, I'm just entirely grateful for the opportunity to run. My pictures post-run are often sad looking. The first five minutes after I complete a run I slow down, snap a picture, and document exactly how I'm feeling. I promise that ten minutes later I feel like a million bucks. It's a high that I can't describe. I literally feel like at that moment I could do anything I ever dreamed of doing. That's a scary sort of thing, but it's exhilarating and it's the reason I continue to run. It hurts every time, but it's worth it.

After 4 miles!