Running!

I have been running this summer.  A lot.  The weather in Seattle is perfect for running, if you don't mind running in the rain occasionally.  It never gets too hot or humid and never gets too cold either!  It was fun up until 3 weeks ago.  I had decided to train for my first half marathon.  Let me just say I am not one of those natural runners.  Working up to a higher mileage takes a lot for me.  It was great, though, to have a goal to work towards and to have the time this summer to go for it.  It was also great to have something that was just about me, not the kids.  One of the things I love about running is that no one talks to me or asks me for anything and I am not refereeing children during that time!  I made it up to 11 miles.  I even did the 11 mile run 3 times and was ready to go for the half marathon.  The last time I ran it though, the recovery was pretty bad.  I have had achy feet and knees that were getting progressively worse, among other things.  I took a week to think about it and decided not to try the 13 miles.  It was REALLY hard for me to back down from that goal but I was afraid if I had another bad run I would ruin running for myself and not be able to keep doing it this fall.  I am just going to choose to be proud of myself for running 11 miles, because that is a feat I never would have dreamed I could accomplish before this summer.  So my dear friend Amy, who would have run the half marathon with me, came over and we did a 6 mile run last Sunday on a trail near my house and I am calling it my "end of the summer run".  It has been 5 days now and I still haven't been out running again!  I hope to get my motivation back soon.  I really would like to do something different like swimming or aerobics or something but haven't been able to find an easy way to do that.  Running is so convenient.  Anyone have any ideas for me??