Is this the year?

   Running season started today.  I've been waiting for this day since it started getting warm enough to go out with just a light jacket. Every morning I'd peer out the window at 5:30 am to see if it was light enough to go running. (It's not safe to run here in the dark.) The last few days it looked like it would be light enough. Yesterday I decided that it was time to start running.
  I decided to buy a new pair of running shoes this year. I think you are supposed to have new shoes every year, but since I don't run that much it seems wasteful to do this. My old running shoes will now be my new walking and tennis shoes.
  About five minutes before the alarm went off, I got out of bed and grabbed my gear. I put on a long sleeved tee shirt,sweatshirt and running pants. I laced on my new shoes. Then I went outside and began to stretch. The weather was perfect. The clouds in the sky were breaking up and it was not too hot or too cold.
   My goal is the same every year. I want to run around the entire block without stopping or walking. What I usually do is run toward a landmark I have set for myself. Then I walk for a bit and then I run again to the next landmark. Little by little I decrease the amount of walking I do. Maybe this isn't the way it is supposed to be done, but it works for me.
  The first run of the year is an easy one. I do try to stay in shape during the winter, but I always lose a little bit of ground. The first run of the year is to see how far I can go before I have to walk.
   I start with my warm up walk to the spot I begin to run. Then I run slowly. So far so good. My new shoes feel a bit different than my old ones so it will take a little bit of time to get used to them. I start to get too warm. I should have put on my hoodie and not the thick sweatshirt that I picked out. For some reason I make this same mistake every year. I would take off the sweatshirt,but it's too cold to run in the tee shirt that I have on.
   I'm pretty pleased with my progress so far. I had to stop before last year's stopping point, but not too far from it. I notice that I recover a bit faster which is a good thing. My biggest challenge when running is pacing. I start out at the right speed and then speed up. Pacing has always been a problem for me. I could bring some music to help me pace myself,but then I wouldn't be able to hear what is going on around me. It would be a safety hazard. It may take a week or two to get my pacing corrected.
   I round the corner and start down the straight stretch. I'm over halfway through and doing just fine. I stop and catch my breath for a minute or two since I started to sprint around the corner. I'll get it right.
  I run past the businesses on the straight stretch and around the corner to my street. I stop and walk for a bit and then start up running again. I run past a small pond, grateful that there is no goose manure on the sidewalk.
  I can feel myself running too fast again. I stop, catch my breath and remind myself to slow down. Then I start up at a better pace and run all the way to my driveway. I walk past the garden, the tulips are blooming, the climbing rose has leaves on it and the grape vine is starting to bud.
  I ran most of the way this time. This could be it. This could be the year that I finally reach my goal.