The conditions were perfect.

Cloudy. 50 degrees. A slight breeze.

At first it seemed chilly, so I put on another long sleeve shirt.

Today I completed Day 31 of the Running 4 Fat Loss on Runkeeper.com. It combines intervals with tempo runs and long runs. Today was the longest run yet, 50 minutes.

I know where my pace needs to be on these longer runs, and where it needs to be for the tempo runs, which is my 5k pace. I know that I don't want to start out too fast because I will tire out before the end.

Running is easier when I'm thinking about other things... today it was about a lost 10 year old boy in our neighboring town who was missing. Where could he be? What happened to him? (Sadly, divers found his body this afternoon in the river. He had drown while fishing.)

I was also thinking about how far I've come since I started running again earlier in the spring. And after taking 10 years off running and starting again just last year, late June 2012. Starting out, I could barely run a mile. Now I can comfortably run a 5k.

"Remember how far you've come, not just how far you have to go..."

Running has become part of my life. Three days a week, I lace up my shoes, check the weather and hit the trail. At first it was to lose weight, but it's more about health, fitness, and endurance. And improving my 5k race times!

xo, Cathy