Today was an easy 2. Except it wasn’t exactly easy for me.
I invited Blue to run with me this morning, and because we live farther than 2 miles from the running trailhead, it made more sense to just run from home. In three years of running in this area, I’ve only “run from home” twice. Sidewalks are scattered here and there, while traffic and hills run rampant. Since I run for fun, and dodging cars while trekking uphill isn’t, I tend to avoid “running from home.”
That said, I knew it was only two miles, and Mother Nature provided a perfect spring morning for the occasion. We had a shaky start because I wanted to try Blue’s hydration belt/waist pack. I’ve worn it twice before, and both times slipped out of place. Irritating! But looking ahead to much longer runs this summer, I know I have to get a real water plan in place. I wanted to try the belt once more (on a short run) to rule out user error.
After a quick trial, I found it lacking, and Blue tried again, securing it lower and tighter. Then off we went.
Almost.
Truth is, I felt nervous! I knew I’d have my usual trouble getting to the right pace initially, and now I’d have to contend with hills, too. We walked a few feet to clear my jitters, and *then* off we went.
The first quarter mile or so was about as tough as I thought it would be. And the uphill, sidewalk-deficient next half mile was, too. Soon, however, I locked into the comfortable 11:15-11:30 pace.
After a mile, we turned around and made the quick trip back home in plenty of time to catch the sunrise.