mile crunch ...

Once upon a time, there was a girl who ran 20 miles a week. And she usually struggled to do so. There was never enough time to get everything in. The kids were demanding. The miles were long. The weather was too hot. Or too cold. But, then she decided to up her game. To take her obsession to a new level.

She is still faced with the same challenges. Maybe even a few more. The kids became even more demanding. The miles weren't just long. They were really long. The weather was still too hot and on a rare occasion, too cold. But, she didn't care. She wanted to push herself. She wanted to improve.

So, she juggled when she had to. She scheduled all the time. And sometimes, even though she was tired, she had to do the "mile crunch." You know the "crunch" - when miles are run on back-to-back-to back days because that's the only way to make them happen.

Today is the end of my most recent "mile crunch." Three days. 38 miles. Two really tired legs.

But it's all worth it. We are headed to Rhode Island tonight and my "mile crunch" has allowed me to run less on vacation (less being a subjective word, of course). Two 5 milers and a 20 are all I have left for the week. And then, I will have two days IN A ROW off.

Which is reason enough for me ...