In the half marathon training program my friend and I are doing, yesterday was our first "big" scheduled run. 7 miles. Just thinking about it scared me to death. I tried to think of every excuse I could possibly come up with, as to why I couldn't run yesterday. But I realized that it all sounded lame- and if I didn't at least give it a shot I would just be a quitter. So, I met my friend in the high school parking lot of our small little town and we headed out. It was a cold day, here in the South-- an Arctic front was moving through and the wind was cold and cutting. We ran from the high school, down Main Street, to the post office, around the park in the center of town, around the church, to the local community college (and around that) through a subdivision, to the college farm (yes the college here has a farm where they teach Agri and veterinary science) and then back down to the high school where we finished with 2 laps around the track. The same track where 20 years ago I ran sprints for my school. It was 7 miles exactly. I still cannot believe that this thirty-something-year-old overweight body of mine ran 7 miles without stopping. And even more amazing to me-- I think I could have gone further.
Running is MY time. Just for ME. No kids or husband there, needing me. No house to clean, no bills to pay. Just me and the pavement, cool air flowing through my lungs. Feeling the ache and fatigue in my legs, my mind pushing me further. I'm starting to love it.