About 18 months ago, after the stress of building a house and moving I looked in the mirror one day and didn't like what I saw. I had lost most of my pregnancy weight from Chase, but I still didn't fit into my clothes the way I liked. For the previous 8 months all the exercise I had been doing was adjusting to a newborn, chasing after kiddos and running around town picking stuff out for our new house.
Mentally I needed a boost as well. I needed to do something just for me. It was time to re-commit to the treadmill downstairs and the sidewalks outside and get back on track. And so I did. Every week I was jogging. And I continued to do it week in and week out for the next 14 months.
Several months ago, my friend introduced me to
this fabulous book. I read it in two days and was inspired to increase my speed and my endurance. And that is what I have been working on. I am neither fast nor do I have major endurance, but the point is I am working on it some weeks and just trying to maintain other weeks.
See the thing is, running is hard. Very hard. Most of the time when I run I am not having a good time. More like I am willing myself to finish so I can pat myself on the back, feel that fabulous endorphin rush and move on with my day. It is equal parts a physical and mental battle I play with myself. But here is the kicker. Every once in awhile during my run something will click, the heavens come together in just the right way and I feel fabulous. I feel empowered. Instead of gasping and panting, I feel alive. It feels easy and I don't want to stop.
I have been trying to figure out why this happens sometimes and not all the time. Is it what I ate the night before? Do I need to eat something before I go? Is it the music? What about sleep? I can't quite figure out how and why and when it happens. But it does. And it is this magic feeling that helps me get out the door.
This morning before the bad weather descended I hit the pavement. Anything over about 35 degrees and I am good to go. 1 mile...2 miles...3 miles I felt good. It wasn't a struggle and I was elated. "It must be the cheesecake and avocado egg rolls I ate last night at eleven o'clock" I thought. I knew I could go on.
At 4 miles I started to slow down, but still felt good and was wondering when the battle of wills was going to begin. That cheesecake didn't have a chance at setting up camp on my thighs.
And then it happened.
Michael Jackson's
Smooth Criminal clicked on. I hit the turn around point of my run and started the mile and a half home. My pace quickened instead of slowed down. I felt great, not just good.
Many Moore came on with
Top of the World and at that moment I felt on top of the world. I almost started crying. I don't know if my feet were hitting the pavement I felt so good. It was effortless.
Lastly Lady Gaga replaced Ms. Moore with
Poker Face, one of my latest favorite and highly motivating songs that I run to. I don't know how fast I was actually running and frankly it didn't matter and I didn't care. I just knew that the last mile and a half I felt fantastic. It is a feeling like no other. It is addictive.
And that my friends is why I run.
And now if you will excuse me, I have a hip that needs to be iced.
