So after a week away from home – with only one run, but on the flattest land I've ever run on – I'm finally getting back into my exercise routine. I'd decided to run on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, and do circuit training for 20-30 minutes on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I was also looking to get a little yoga stretching in to stay limber. (So far, I've done very little yoga over the last seven months, but I'm trying to make time for it.)

I like running outside (I'm not a fan of treadmills) but I hate being hot. Yeah, I know, I live in Southern California, no way to get around summer heat. So I've been setting my alarm to get it done at the coolest part of the day. It's crazy hot – about 68-72 degrees (20-22 C) at 4:30 in the morning! Whew! I have to get back before the sun rises or I'm just too hot and exhausted to keep going. A couple days ago, I took this picture about 4:50am of the full moon – my only light while trying not to trip over the cracks in the sidewalk. 😉 Gorgeous. Don't get that on a treadmill.

And because it's been so hot outside, it's also hot inside. So I don't want to do my circuit training either. It was easy for a few days to say i was too busy to do it, but Saturday I saw Doug exercising on his indoor bike and I thought – just do it, Kitty! I am not running very fast and I want to, but I won't get any faster if I don't get stronger.

So I hurried and put on my exercise clothes before I could think about it. The air conditioning keeps it at 76 (24 C) inside, which is very pleasant if you're sitting still at your computer or watching TV, but it's still hot when you're exercising hard! I thought I was about to pass out once during my workout yesterday, but…then I decided that it was a great opportunity for a ridiculous funny photo. 😉  I was breathing like a freight train and tried to smile like it was fun.

Hope it made you laugh!

Keep going! Don't quit! 😀