Cool Bloggers

After reading a few of the comments on the last post, I had to check to see how long I'd been blogging. I started February 8, 2006, really because of Rob. He knew I was reading blogs and was calling me "Lady Lurker" in his posts, and sometimes in real life. After much persuasion, he convinced me that I could do this - I could write whatever I wanted, I didn't have to bare my soul, it could be short, it didn't have to be about running, and most of all, it would elevate me to cool blogger status, just like him. How could I resist?

So, no the last post wasn't prompted by a year of blogging, but by remembering that life can throw us some unexpected curve balls, by realizing how often I was thinking about Juls and her family, their grief, how quickly it arrived, how easily life can be turned upside down. I thought about this amazing online community, about the bloggers I've been lucky enough to meet, and those of you that I haven't, yet feel a connection to. I think about the stories we share, the advice, the laughter behind the keyboard. Sometimes I think of you while I'm running, remembering some of that wise advice, or some event that you've posted about. I mentioned somewhere, in someone's comments yesterday, that I once read that blogging is the "new ham radio" - where the connections are built, the voices are known, but the face-to-face has never happened. Or like our grandparents and their penpals. Some of the elder generation have had penpal friendships that have spanned 50 years or more! Technology and a love of running has brought us together, but the bonds we have built come from our hearts. Sometimes when we meet in real life, it feels a little awkward, we don't quite know what to say when we are actually looking at each other, sometimes we say more to each other through our writing. But with a little time, the ease comes, the reminder that we really know a lot about each other and even the way we each think. Yep, I'll wear my Cool Blogger label proudly, and so should each of you. Again, thanks for sharing my life and thanks for coming by to read.

But, what about running? I haven't written about running yet! Tuesday Rick and I ran 6.86 miles, average pace 11:52, average heart rate 141. We were going to hit the hill run, but then Rick came to his senses and remembered he's signed up for the final race in the Resolution Series - a 20 miler. Both Wednesday and Thursday I was on my own - Wednesday, 6.33, 11:47 average pace, average hr: 142. Thursday was a double day: 5.2 in the morning, 11:58 average pace, 144 average hr, at the track and through the park in the evening for 3.44, average pace 11:29, average hr, 138. I'm pretty pleased to see those averages drop below 12:00. Of course, I expect that they'll be higher in the marathon, and probably increase as I work my way through the six races. The Yakima Marathon is a week from Saturday, so my plan for this weekend is two easy runs, both in the five mile range.

MM#402, signing off from Puyallup, where the bloggers are cool, the husbands are goofy and the slugs are huge!