Any way, on Sunday Diane and I took off on a run in Forest Park. We settled on 6 miles. We thought “My! what a beautiful afternoon, the sun is breaking through the clouds and the temperature was just right!” We felt motivated and alive! The leaves were just beginning to turn and the recent rain fed the streams that rippled through the forest. As we ran we admired the mist in the trees and relished the newly challenging wet terrain under our feet.

“Lets go one more mile!” I exclaimed joyously! This would  add two miles to the total run, one mile in one mile out! “Yes! Let’s!” exclaimed Diane (who hadn’t been exactly adhering to her run schedule either)  on we trucked into the forest taking bout foreign travel and our beloved partners, Rob and Kurtis.  We planned vacations together and swapped holiday pet watching duties with each other.

We got to the end feeling some pains we didn’t recognize but feeling awesome about our 6 mile turned 8 mile trek.

“let’s do it again tomorrow!” said Diane

“Yes! Let’s” I readily agreed.

On the day went and an unfamiliar stiffness set in but we ignored it carrying on with our daily routines.

7:45 Monday 10/6/2008. Monday morning. It is a little colder than I remember Sunday being. I had overslept and my dog woke me up barking at Diane at my front door. I let her in and the first bad omen of the morning. No coffee. NOT GOOD.I take the stairs gingerly one at a time slightly sideways as not to bend at the hip. We eventually make to the park and get out of the car. The enchanted forest of yesterday is gone. It is replaced by a cold wet and muddy parking lot opening onto a a small stream that yesterday had been the trail.  We silenced our inner voices begging us to get back into the car and go to breakfast and start on the trail. Slowly.  We trudged up the first hill stiffly and with a distinct lack of the easy conversation of the day before.

The rain is getting in my ears and my tights are falling down. Yesterday we had planned on five miles, enthusiastically planning on making up for lost time of the previous week.

I look at Diane and say “Kick it down to 4 miles?”

“Yes, Let’s!”

 As for the logistics of the organization at this point, some folks have raised some questions. Let me outline what we are doing here. I am currently training under Jon Eng of  Runneng.com. I am training for a year to complete a 3,000 mile run next fall (September 09). My goals are to raise $20,000 to support  the run and during the run my goal will be to raise $200,000 for literacy in Latin America.

 The name Two Dollars a Day indicates the demarcation of extreme poverty. If you live on under $2 you are in extreme poverty. The answer to poverty is education and literacy.  The African proverb says that if you educate a man you educate one person but if you educate a woman you educate a whole community. That is the goal of Two Dollars a Day. by raising money for literacy programs in Latin America we hope to help lift the most impoverished and oppressed populations out of the cycle of poverty.”

Ran 6 Miles with Diane. Only needed 3 Miles. Fleas!

9/8/2008

9/9/2008

Lunch run Hilly 4 Miles

9/10/2008

Late night 4 Miles

New shoes insole experiment went terribly wrong

9/11/2008

AM 2 miles

9/12/2008

Lunch run 4 miles Worked out shoe mess. Feels MUCH better.

Evening run?

9/13/2008

5 Miles Alison

4 miles to Tiffany’s house

The last three are proposed runs. I haven’t actually completed them so i am hoping that posting them here will give me the extra motivation to complete them.

Got new shoes and am wondering when Asics is going to start giving me free stuff…..

I am not trying to toot my own horn, I am simply saying I am committed to this goal.

After about 6 blocks, I had to walk because of my toe but then I picked up the pace. Zissou proceeded to poop in the park we run through so on my way to clean it up I tripped in a gofer hole flew through the air and landed squarely in another dog’s poop. On my Knees, Poop Knee. 

I ran home a scant .6miles from competing my run. On the up side Zussou realized thaat I was not trying to kill him by making him drink from the drinking fountain but it is, in fact, just water

I took an ice bath on Sunday after my 7 miles and Monday felt no fatigue or muscle soreness. It was fantastic. Thanks Runner’s World Magazine!