You make me smile, Thursday.

Thursday is such a fantastic day. It is my new favorite day of the week!

Here are 10 things I love about today:

10. I got up early, got a "tempo run" in. What I think is a tempo run, anyway. I'm still confused. I used an online tool and plugged in some numbers and based my time on their calculations. I did a short warmup (walked .25 miles) and then followed it with 3 miles at 9:15 pace. It was rough! Then jogged another mile at 10:45 pace. I am proud because I wanted to stop and run far away from the treadmill. And yes, 9:15 is slooooow for some of you little speed demons. I was running thinking "I cannot believe I used to be able to run a sub-seven minute mile."

*Can anyone out there tell me if that was a "tempo run"? Or am I supposed to do another slow mile ahead of the faster pace?

9. I came home and had a shower. Yay for showers post-workout!

8. At 7:00am I was thrilled knowing that there will be no running for 48 hours. While I do love it, it is nice knowing that a REST day is ahead! And I survived this week of running!

7. I am having a beer tonight. 

6. I don't have to get up at 4:15 tomorrow. Always a great feeling.

5. My sickness is gone! A slight cough lingers on, but I don't feel run down at all. Score!

4. My husband actually smiled today. (He has a herniated disc that has really messed him up mentally - and physically too, obviously. It was nice to see some joy from him for the first time in two weeks.)

3. During my run this morning, I was getting pretty desperate for something to get me through it. I imagined that the body builder next to me was listening to Lady Gaga. Then I shared with him afterward that I was thankful he could (unknowingly) provide comic relief during a tough run.

2. I am so thankful that I can do this. The soreness is gone! Not that long ago, I would go for a six mile run because I wanted to get back into running. Then I wouldn't run for two months because I was so sore. Now I am doing multiple 6 miles runs in a week. It is awesome.

1. I have learned to appreciate the process. This ties in with number two. In high school, I could run - not the fastest, but not the slowest. My senior year, I let the mental game get to me too much, and I quit all sports. I'm thankful that the past 10 years have given me more mental toughness than I had back then. I may not be as fast as I used to be, but what marathon training requires mentally wouldn't have been possible back then, either.

I can't help but smile! What a perfect day.