Trying to be smart

I know it's hard to tell from my behavior, but I'm really trying to be smart about my training. I'm trying to be more aware of my aches and pains, to better judge when I can run or do a hard workout, and when I should take it a bit easier. 

My back issues have moved into my hip, which complained all morning and well into today's run. I didn't wear the heart rate monitor, because I didn't want to push as hard as I could in search of the holy grail that is my maximum heart rate, and I didn't want to be disappointed in the numbers if I couldn't push hard enough. I basically just wanted to run by feel, and not feel bad if I had to slow down or stop. 

This is my new bible (source)

Today I ran 3 miles to Home Depot for tomato and pepper plants, with a 2 mile walk back home. My hip pain was in stage 3 during the run, waxing and waning but never really going away. I'm ok with running in stage 3, especially if things feel better once I'm done. The first half of the walk home though, I'd call stage 4. My hip hurt so much I wasn't sure I would make it home. For no discernible reason, it felt better after I stopped to take pictures of this:

Pretty!
And for sale, though a bit expensive for what it is

I think my hip also felt better after doing squats to get the plants in the ground. It hasn't bothered me much at all since I got home, which makes me think something was pinched momentarily. With that pain gone, I feel confident in running again tomorrow, though I'm not sure if I'll wear the heart rate monitor. It depends on if I wake up with pain. I really want to start regular runs again. I want to get back up to 5-6 miles daily (or at least an hours worth of sweat daily). I dream of 10 miles daily, but find it hard to believe my body will ever allow that!

I won't bore you with pictures of my new plants. They really just look like every other baby plant. I ended up with tomatoes, green peppers, and collards. I learned my lesson with the monster cherry tomato bush last year, which I simply could not keep up with. I gave a ton of them away, and still the bush overflowed. This year I'm trying a variety of purple tomato which promises to be smaller and more flavorful than a beefsteak. Then again, anything is more flavorful than a grocery store beefsteak. The peppers are supposed to be sweet and huge - the bigger the better if you ask me! I've never done collards before, but figure this will give me at least one fresh-from-the-yard salad a week. 

I've also got a ton of fruit coming in. Last year my strawberry patch was overrun with bugs and birds. Every time I'd say "I'll pick those tomorrow," they would be half or completely eaten by tomorrow. I was stunned therefore to find a bowl full of ripe berries today, with at least another bowl full that will be ripe tomorrow. 

SOOOOO good!
These were in addition to the ones eaten by bugs and birds