Tuesday, October 02, 2012

Finding My Way Back.. Running

"Even if you’re on the right track, you’ll get run over if you just sit there."   – Will Rogers

Several years ago, after I started running, I decided that I really didn't  enjoy running at the end of a long work day. Often times I was tired, and headachey, and all I wanted to go when I got home was settle in with a hot cup of tea and relax for a bit. On top of that, there were chores that needed doing, and dinner that needed cooking and my family needed me to spend time with them. It seemed a little selfish of me to just come home, change into my running gear and head out the door without any regards to what anyone else needed at the time. Plus, I found that if I walked in the door, even if I changed, I often got derailed by phone calls, or people needing help with homework, or reminders about evening events that needed attending which meant dinner needed to be made and lo and behold I was the only one home to do so. Or, I would leave a warm school, walk home in the cold/wet/chilly/yucky weather, to my nice warm house, and not want to leave again to go out and run in the aforementioned conditions.

I realized if I went to bed earlier, which wasn't all the hard because at the end of the day I am dog tired, I could get up earlier and run before work. If I woke up at 5am, I had enough time to unload the dishwasher, have breakfast, check email etc, and head out the door at 6am, to be back and stretched and ready to head into the shower at 7am. For most of the year, it's a grand plan. Once it gets dark and cold in the morning, it's a little bit rougher to convince myself that I want to be out there doing anything. I need to decide again, between dark and cold, or tired at the end of the day and making the commitment to push through and hit the road no matter what. Recently I have discovered that if I bring my running gear to school, and change before I walk out the door, I really  have no excuse not to run. The thing I need to decide about now, is do I leave for my run from school, and have to walk back in, get my stuff and then head home, or walk home and drop my stuff off, and then just head off and run from there? Either way, I think the key is to change in the building, and then leave. If I already have my running clothes on, I really have no excuse not to run. I've read that the hardest part of running is getting out the door. I am here to tell you that statement is 100% correct, and I am living proof of it. I spent years so eager to get my shoes on and go, and for some reason, this past year I have struggled and struggled just to get out the door. It's not because I don't enjoy running anymore, because I really do love it, it's just that life has been kicking me hard, and I've let it drag me to a place where I've lost a bit of myself. It's time to find my way back.

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