Running Rewind

I did it! I got up this morning at 6:45, and I headed down to Town Lake, and I set out on a 5 mile run. When I got to Town Lake, I parked at TxDot - homebase for many weekend runners. The loop heading west (from Congress to Mopac) is 5 miles. And the entire loop is 10 miles (from Mopac to the Longhorn Dam), so I was faced with the first decision of the morning. West, or East? West is the more familiar run. East is prettier. West has many more runners/bikers/dogs. East is quieter. So, East I went.

I consistently missed my mark for the first 24 minutes, running 5.5/1.5's instead of the planned 6/1's. It was around this time that I started reflecting on what running has become for me. It's a lot of numbers. Tracking miles, and minutes, and minutes per miles, and walk breaks. It's a constant battle of trying to one-up myself. And while there is nothing wrong with wanting to get better, I think I've lost sight of the big picture. I never started this to become some elite runner. I'm never going to win any prize for being a running phenom. The fact that I run should be the point. I think my closest friends and family are still waiting for this running phase to end. And I'm continually shocked that there are people who only know me as a "runner".

So, I let go of the watch. I stopped tracking minutes and miles. I started thinking about all the positive things. I'm healthy and I live in a place that is safe and beautiful and full of a community of people who are passionate about running. I was up early, and out running. And, in a short-ish amount of time (2 years) I've had some wonderful running accomplishments - 3 half marathons, 4 10Ks, one of them part of a team triathlon, a 12-person 200-mile relay, and some of the greatest running buddies I've found (here's looking at you LDH, R'OD, Boston T.Pod).

I gave myself a break for the rest of the run - I walked when I was tired. I stopped for water when I was hot. I ran slower when I needed to. And while I was fighting with two annoying problems (poison ivy on my neck that made me want to DIE, and the headphone issue that really needs solving), the rest of my run was delightful.

And when I finished, I remembered something that my Yoga instructor always says, "Remember, that where you are is exactly where you are supposed to be". It was not the fastest of runs, but why did it need to be? I haven't run in a while, I don't have a race coming up, I haven't been eating as a runner, I haven't been hydrating. It was just the attitude adjustment I needed.

In the end, turned out to be 6 miles! Gold star for 6 miles!