This is my Moose, Lucy. :) She is such a sweetie-pie! She is actually my daughter's companion but has become my running buddy on my cold winter runs. I was never a dog person but she has converted me. She ran 7 miles, right next to me, today, with a wind chill of 11*. I REALLY wanted to climb back into bed but her persistence & desire to be out cannot be hidden. She follows me around the house so hopefully... -She can be more of a handicap at times between all of her sniff-pee-poo breaks... but she has this innocence & joyfulness-of-the-run that reminds me to just enjoy the moment. Today, we saw deer, woodpeckers, a fellow runner, chipmunks & squirrels. Yesterday, we saw an owl! We love our trail running, even when it's cold & blustery. There is something wonderful when you can connect to nature. It keeps me grounded emotionally & gives me a bigger picture of where I fit into the scheme of things. In other words, I'm a SMALL piece of the puzzle- stay humble! YET- I am PART of the puzzle... I am not "nothing". (Double negative makes a positive yet I am still cringing.) There is self worth when you are accepted by an animal, nature, your body moving similarly through the woods alongside deer... I need to get a Pocahontas outfit!!! ;)

I FEEL amazing! This will be my strongest running year, ever. I ran with no KT tape on my knee, no ibuprofen, NO PAIN. **JIGGY DANCE OF JOY** Yoga, new doctor, Gatorade Prefuel, discovered a new GU flavor (!!!) & now introducing NUNN to help with my potassium, sodium deficiency. If I can conquer the muscle cramping, my main bio-puzzle-pieces will all be in place. Looking forward to a FABULOUS, almost newbie, running year!!! Looking forward to new possibilities! Even getting geared up to get my "swim on", again!