My Running Break is Over

I do not have a race on the calendar. It's weird. My knee has healed, my Crohn's is in remission, and yet my race calendar remains empty. I need to change that, but I haven't been ready. I haven't been ready to commit at a time when my calendar looks like a game of Tetris. I went for a run on Mackinac Island this morning. It's 8.2 miles to run the entire Island, and even though I'm not in 8.2 shape, I thought I'd give it a shot. Even if I walked a good bit of it that would be fine.

 I had a conference call about a mile and a half into the route. It lasted almost 25 minutes. Then as I ran on this beautiful morning heading toward the back of the Island I realized at a run/walk pace I was going to really cut it close to meet my husband for lunch. I turned around and ended up running around five miles which, while not my goal isn't nothing. But even at five miles my body was not amused. I realized it's time - time to get back into running. It's time to get back into a routine and find my runner self again.



I don't need to run every day; quite the contrary, I will actually get injured if I try to run every day. If I run 3-4 times a week that will get me there. I've run 22 half marathons, and I'd love to run three more by the end of the year. Two years ago that goal seemed easy. This year it seems daunting. 

 A wise runner/mom/kick ass city leader said to me recently that when you're a runner it's always in you even if you take a little break. The last year and a half I've prioritized health, family and work over running, and I'm okay with that. But it's time to look at my priorities. None of those things will ever be less important than running, but it's time to add running back into the mix. I know I won't be as fast for a while but it's not about speed. It's about connecting with myself and finding that space where I can let everything else go. I love the half marathon distance, and it's time to get back to it. Anyone want to run a half (or three?) with me yet this year?

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Some Reasons Why Diet Culture is Garbage: I Poop a Lot and I'm Always Hungry

Image
It was the spring of 1996, and my mom and I were at the mall shopping for my senior prom dress. I had decided I was only going to eat 500 calories a day over the weekend. It was track season, so I couldn't starve myself on practice and meet days, but in my mind it seemed perfectly logical to basically starve my healthy, 17-year-old body on less physical days. I was in the fitting room trying on dresses, and I heard the sales person say to my mom, "Your daughter is so tiny!" I was light headed and nauseous from not eating, but that overheard compliment made me feel like it was all worth it.  Senior Prom 1996 I've struggled with my body image since I was a pre-teen, and in the 30+ years that have passed it's still something with which I struggle daily. I spent years punishing my body so I wouldn't gain weight: eating very few calories and working out for hours, purging, taking laxatives, only drinking alcohol until I threw up so I wouldn't gain weight. It...
Read more

Here's a Shortcut: Do the Work.

Image
I have a confession to make: I don't think I'm my best self right now. I've been thinking a lot about being my best self overall (including fitness which is a huge thing for me), and I've come to a simple, unalienable truth: there is no shortcut. To be the best version of yourself (whatever that means) you have to do the work. I'm not the same version of myself at 46 as I was at 26. (Man could I give that girl some good advice though.) I spend a lot of time reflecting on who I am and who I want to be. While doing the work all the time seems daunting on its surface, it's not. It doesn't mean life has to be a grind 24/7, but it does mean that there is effort in whatever is important to you (which of course is unique to each of us). Where am I willing to do the work to be the best version of me? Fitness. I love exercise. My husband says I'm "obsessed", and I retort that there are way worse obsessions. While I'm logging way fewer miles than I ...
Read more

Why Do I Talk About my "Stuff"?

Image
A few months ago a friend told me someone we knew was venting that I share too much about myself in my blog and on social media. She said (I'm paraphrasing) something like "We all go through stuff. There's no need to share it." At first I was irritated until I realized this person has zero impact on my life. And it's true: we are all going through things. But since then I've been thinking a lot about why I am so candid about things in my life (in particular my struggle with Crohn's Disease).  I was 19 when I got sick. It was so embarrassing. No college girl wants to tell people they're dealing with bloody diarrhea and nausea and horrible cramps. That's the thing about a chronic illness: it's easy to feel like you don't have anyone to lean on. I had my colon removed 5 weeks before I started law school (the delightful adventure chronicled in this blog ). I began law school having lost 30 pounds in less than a month, with steroids puffing up m...
Read more