Have you ever had someone visit your town and when you took them for a run you noticed new things about your regular route that you never noticed before because you’re seeing it through your visitor’s eyes? Well I have. Monday Bill and I took a run with a friend of a friend who was visiting Bellingham (and who is now our friend). For an hour, we toured Whatcom Falls Park, through the cemetery, and up to the bridge that crosses Alabama Street. We wanted her to get a look at Bellingham from atop the hill. While we were standing on the bridge, Bill pointed out landmarks:

“Over there is the university. And out beyond the bay you can see the San Juan Islands,” he said, pointing out the green mounds in the water I usually take for granted.

I stood back and listened to his narration–and looked out at the panorama. I was suddenly struck that I live in a very beautiful place. In fact, Bellingham is one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been (and I’ve been to every continent, as you know)! If I were a traveler visiting my town, I wouldn’t want to leave. And since I live here, I only have to leave when I go on vacation.

Sometimes I forget to be grateful for what is right in front of me. Not this week.

Training:

Sunday: Pace work. Bill wanted me to try a new workout with him at the track. His plan was to jog down to the track from our house (one mile) and then do four one-mile repeats, speeding up each mile by one minute, before jogging back home. He planned to run his miles at 10 minutes, 9 minutes, 8 minutes, and 7 minutes. I knew I couldn’t keep up beyond the nine minute mile, so my repeats were as follows: 10:00, 9:00, 9:30, 9:40. If the goal was to run the last mile faster than the first, I might have been better off speeding up by only 15 seconds for each mile. Live and learn.

Monday: Six mile run with our new friend, Talca.

Tuesday: Slow couple of miles.

Wednesday: Speed work. 4 miles total with 25 minutes of that time doing ins and outs at the track (slow on the curves, hard on the straights).

Thursday: Slow couple of miles.

Friday: Slow couple of miles.

Saturday: A half marathon that starts at the Lummi Stommish Grounds. I’m doing this just to get the miles in and not so much for time, so I expect to finish in around 2:25.

It’s nice to be back on track. How’s your training going? How did summer treat you? What are your goals this fall?