Hello everyone!  I have now been in theatre for 13 months…crazy!  The winter here has again, been very dry.  Usually the winter is the rain season here, but for some reason, the last two winters have been very dry.  It has been so dry that I ordered a humidifier for my CHU because I was waking up with a sore throat.  Thankfully the humidifier took care of that.  So here it is , Feb 5^th , which means we get to start another season of racing over here in Iraq.  I did not run the first 5k due to a cold, but I am feeling pretty strong and am looking forward to the Presidents Day 5k.  That was my first race last year and will forever hold a special memory for other reasons outside of running…

This year will be a good one.  I am working in a new office which is less stressful, and I don’t have to put up with any unqualified drug deal leadership.  That in itself is a huge relief.  Besides running and the new office, I have become really engaged in my faith.  I have found that joining the choir has opened up my eyes to getting back on track with my faith.  Fridays we have an hour of prayer in the church.  It is very peaceful and gives you some quiet time to pray, reflect and become closer to god.  I have even found myself attending bible study.  I never thought I would have been so engaged in my religion, but I guess I found that thing that was missing in my life and it feels great!

The running has been going pretty good as well.  I have switched up my program to focus more on the 5k this year.  I am still running longer on my LSD days, but the workouts are more speed oriented.  I am aiming for 16:00 flat on the 5k course here.  It will happen.  I will keep you updated on the progress.  The Unit I work for is sponsoring a biathlon in March, so I have been getting my swim on lately.  There are quite a few people now swimming in our Unit, so that is pretty cool.

On a different note, the Time life singers and songwriters of the 70s collection just ROCKS!  (I have been listening to it as I type…lol)

Okay back to running.  I have been amazed at how fast some of the indoor times have been for the indoor mile thus far.  Fernandez and Ulrey are smoking!  Dorien is from my home town, well, just outside.  The Quad Cities expands when you talk to someone who is from just outside that area.  I remember racing him at a lot of the local 5ks, well racing him now might be a little exaggerated, I think chasing him would be the proper phrasing…lol.  Although I would give it my best shot! J

Well, I wish you all the best for 2009!  May all your workouts, training, and faith help guide you to some fast times, and help pave the way for a meaningful, successful journey in life!

Run Happy J

Sherrod out