Emotions are mixed this morning - while half of me is impressed I've been sticking with the schedule and not ditching the Thursday runs, I don't seem to be moving forward. For two weeks I've been running 3 miles at the run 7 minutes/walk two minutes pace (finishing in approx. 40 minutes - a 13-minute mile average).

For those of you not familiar with running and pacing, a 13-minute mile is really, really fast. For those of you who know that's a lie, stop laughing! I'm working on it!

At first I was thrilled to even run for seven minutes - that's no easy feet when you've been mostly sedentary all winter long. And I got swept up by thoughts of myself waking at dawn for a five-mile sprint through the streets of Portland - leaping over parked cars for fun.

So I'll admit some disappointment this week - I haven't improved by a second. The run is still rough - I'm still panting and red faced and tired before I finish. It's a sure sign I'm not ready to move forward.

But stop trying? Naw, I plan on kicking the Back Cove's arse...eventually.