This morning was an absolutely beautiful morning for a run along the beach. There was (for California) a crisp coolness in the air, the sky was wonderfully blue, the Channel Islands were beautifully visible, and the surfers were out in mass. I ran a very easy five miles and just enjoyed everything around me.
When I returned home I remembered  that back when I first started running, I’d go maybe four miles, drive home, and then barely drag myself out of my car on stiff and tired legs. With this memory in mind I thought that I’d look at the very first run recorded on my Garmin. It was December 26, 2011… so now you know what I got for Christmas that year.

Many people can walk faster than my combined run/walk four years ago.

Many people can walk faster than my combined run/walk four years ago.


This first run (on my Garmin) was in my old neighborhood. It was a run/walk and not too easy. I also weighed almost 60 pounds more than I do today.
So what about today?IMG_0339
As I previously mentioned, this morning’s run was to be short and very easy. The assignment for today was just that, slow and easy. So how does it compare to my running ability of four years ago?
Pretty nice improvement! My next goal is to get my easy run to a 10 minute mile, and my marathon race pace to 9:00. Well actually my next goal is to complete the Surf City Marathon (Huntington Beach, February 7) in 4:45:00 or better. We’ll see. It seems a bit daunting right now but actually running and finishing a half marathon seemed a bit daunting at one time too.
Happy running everyone!