I've still got two hours left to make my weekly 'Three Beautiful Things' deadline.

1. The weekly Saturday bike ride continues to share little gems with me. In the middle of this week's 41-mile ride, I caught glimpses of miniature donkeys, a miniature horse, and then a full-sized magnificent white horse standing atop a small hill (which I swear was looking right at me - the horse, not the hill).

2. The running continues. Slow and steady, forward motion is occurring. It feels odd to be starting from Square One again (OK, Square Two...) but I'm starting and that matters most.

3. This week, instead of being at work, I've been doing a 'clinical rotation' at a skilled nursing facility as part of the course-work towards my goal of becoming a physical therapist assistant. The feeling I get when seeing a patient accomplish a task makes my heart soar. The simplest things that we take for granted are a struggle for some of these folks, so seeing them get up from their wheelchair and pivot over to their bed to sit down is a huge accomplishment that thrills me to be involved in.

It has been an amazing week, FULL of beautiful things.

It's Thursday! In my effort to start a new habit, here's my second weekly installment of 'Three Beautiful Things':

1) I bravely saddled up for a 61-mile on Saturday morning, never having ridden farther than 37 miles. I was rewarded with spectacular scenery - how can a place called Moose Meadow be anything but beautiful? - and was able to complete the ride without having to call for a ride home.

2) Tuesday, my stepfather and I headed over to Rhode Island for our annual 'Davey Day' involving participation in all sorts of fun father-daughter type activities. The last few years, we have taken our bikes along and this year was no exception. Our first stop for riding was Jamestown, and the mixture of cedar-shigle houses, ocean breezes and honeysuckle reminded me of how much I love New England summer.

3) This morning was a perfect, crisp, sunny, summer morning for a 3.5 mile run. The turkey family called out to me as I passed by, and I was pleased to be feeling *much* stronger on the legs as compared to last week.

I finally managed to contribute to the Complete Running Network after a 6 month hiatus. I did a quick write up on a story in the news about a woman who was running in a 10K race and was run over by a deer.

It's been interesting to read the comments people are leaving about their experiences with deer. And it reminded me of something that happened on a group bike ride last week...But first, some background information is required.

I am still learning how to the confident on my bike. My biggest challenge is riding downhill. I know, I know. That is usually the best part, right? Well. It terrifies me. I start thinking of all the things that could happen. "What if I hit a rock or a stick?" "What if there's too many cars?" "What if I hit a patch of sand or a pothole?" Then I imagine what it will feel like to crash on my bike while going 25-30 mph downhill. Is it really any wonder that I lose feeling in my hands as I grip the brakes?

To further illustrate just how wussy I am: On one recent ride, there was an awesome downhill. One of the riders hit a maximum speed of 47 mph. Me? I hit 28 mph. That. Is. Sad.

Understandably then, one of my goals has been to work on being more relaxed going downhill. Last Wednesday, we headed down a hill and I just let myself relax. I even was bold enough to "take the lane" to block any cars that might try to pass. It felt great. A few scary thoughts popped into my head - "What if a deer suddenly crosses the road?!" But I maintained my composure, determined to not be afraid.

I was still one of the last group members to reach the bottom, but I felt a lot more confident. As we continued on the ride, I reflected to some fellow riders on how I was working on my downhill "issues" and even confessed about my "deer" theory. Not two minutes later, a deer was spotted bounding into the woods, just as we came around a corner. Had we been a minute sooner, things could have gotten ugly.

Anyone else have a good deer or other wildlife story?

Every Thursday, for quite some time now, my friend sprite has posted "Three Beautiful Things" on her blog, reflecting on three beautiful moments from her week. I always look forward to reading this particular post, as it not only gives me some insight into her day-to-day experiences but it also provides a "positive energy vibe" to my day. I consider it a "warm and fuzzy" regularly scheduled meme.

I started thinking that I might enjoy doing something similar. My "Three Beautiful Things" will likely be related to running, biking or swimming, thereby forcing me to find the silver lining in my weekly training. That's not to say that un-athletic moments won't sneak in to the list from time to time, allowing for a glimpse of the non-running side of the Running Chick (Gasp! I know! It's true!).

Therefore, without further ado, here's my first attempt at Three Beautiful Things on Thursday:

1. I had been warned about a particularly steep portion of road referred to as 'Stairway to Heaven' by local cyclists. As my step-father and I approached the bottom of the hill, he told me that there was no shame in weaving on the bike or even walking the bike to get up the hill. I had no idea how far I had to climb, so I just grit my teeth and pushed, weaving just a tiny bit on the steepest portion. I reached the top, hyperventilating, amazed to still be clipped in to my bike, but proud to have made it up without stopping.

2. My leg/hamstring still has some weirdness going on, but I was able to run twice last week, and twice already this week without dire consequences or set backs. I'll take the small victories where I can.

3. I volunteered at the Connecticut Special Olympics this past weekend, working as part of a 'Healthy Athletes' program. Our session was called FUNFitness, and focused on assessing and educating the athletes regarding strength, flexibility, balance and aerobic capacity. The enthusiasm from these special athletes was overwhelming and contagious. Their joyful smiles warmed my heart.

The month of May ended with a record low number of miles in my running logbook. I would be a bold faced liar if I said that it didn't bother me. It did. And it does.

However, I have been working overtime to keep some semblance of optimism around me. It hasn't been the easiest thing to do, but compared to the challenges that others face on a daily basis - Iraq, cancer, insert-depressing-crap-here - I really didn't feel justified in my complaints.

So I've been quiet about the hamstring and the low miles, reminding myself that Running and I will be back together soon enough. Plus, I've been filling some of my time with biking...which will serve me well when I saddle up to ride 100 miles in September.

There has been some cautious flirting going on with my old flame, Running. Last week, we had a brief morning interlude. It wasn't the best date we ever had, and we parted ways feeling a little uncertain about each other, wondering if we would ever be able to stand each other for more than 13 minutes at a time again.

I patiently waited for our next date, almost reluctant to accept his offer, not wanting to know more about our future together. I was feeling smugly content in my ignorance. After a week of avoiding him, I finally relented, and accepted his offer. We spent 2 whole miles together this morning. It wasn't bliss, but we were pleased to realized that the situation felt a little better, more natural, more like 'old times.'

We're not rushing in to anything yet. We really want to take our time and develop the relationship properly this time. Work together to become a stronger team, make sure we have each other's best interest in mind. There are no big dates planned for the next few months, just hanging out, getting reacquainted and reconnecting with our friends.

We haven't picked out a china pattern yet, or even left toothbrushes at each other's houses, but we're holding hands, and that's a start.