Its funny how many life lessons you can find while participating in athletics. I had a realization today during my morning workout with Marshall as we were running through the birch forest behind our apartment: Pick your plan of action before beginning, then proceed as outlined. Let me explain. Before a run, it can be tempting to say, "I am just going to see where my run takes me." The danger with this sort of workout plan, or lack thereof, is that when you start to feel your muscles burn and your heart rate increase, it is tempting to turn around and run back home. We all know that improvement in any area, including fitness, doesn't come without hard work and sometimes pain, sweat, and tears. Our backyard! This is one of the many trails in the birch & boreal forest behind our house that we love to run on. Before we headed out this morning, I asked him what we were going to run. After ...