When Bad Is Good

Dori walked seven miles yesterday with her friend Renee. She's continuing her Saturday morning half-marathon training for Gilda's Club, and thanks to many of you, is the number three fundraiser out of 100-plus teammates. Dori and Renee said they realized yesterday that seven miles really is a respectable distance, wondering how some folks even run that far.

I was wondering the same thing at the seven-mile mark of my 11-mile run yesterday. I struggled almost the whole run, even though conditions were good - sunny and 45-50 degrees. Part of it was lack of sleep the night before and stress ... work and home activities are as busy as they've ever been. Finding time to relax and recharge right now is difficult, though Dori and I are planning a get-away.

I think that's why I'm taking the positive approach about yesterday's underperformance. I walked briefly at Mile 10 up a steep hill, then finished the run. It took me two hours to run 11 miles, which is slow for me. But I finished realizing I had managed to run 11 miles. That's a long way.

Am I ready to run a good half marathon in two weeks? Probably not, but I'm going to run it, unless the weather is awful. As hard as the last month has been, training has helped me. I'm not running for accomplishment these days. Running is helping me chase away anxiety, stress and negativity. That's what my next race is about.

Will and I did manage to enjoy some college baseball yesterday afternoon, watching Vanderbilt rally to beat Stanford 8-7. We love being together at the ballpark. We're heading over there again, weather permitting, and then I'll work tonight in preparation for a busy week.

Last night, we joined Anne and her husband for some fine food Mom prepared from Emeril Lagasse's Farm to Fork cookbook - bay, thyme and rosemary roasted potatoes with smoked paprika, roasted brussel sprouts with garlic, lemon zest and fresh parm-reggiano, tuscan kale with white beans and tomatoes, a tender chicken with zucchini and carrots that melted in our mouths, and grilled French bread. I sipped on a Spanish rose and then a French red from the Ventoux region, good paring choices.

It took me three breaths and two winks to fall asleep last night. It's easy to be grateful for days like yesterday.