Ready to share tales of her wild weekend in Vegas, my running aficionado / workmate dropped into my office today.  When I say running aficionado, I mean she runs...and runs....and runs..to the tune of about 45 miles a week.  To the extent that running isn't enough now and she is planning to do some Spartan Races (they're a thing I guess).  And some other extreme team race that includes a base camp and a 100+ mile tag-team run inside 24 hours.   What?!?"

She runs before work in the morning and then often during lunch at the office.  What I admire, yet despise (I kid) about this woman is how damnned consistent she is!! Winter, spring, summer, inside, outside....she runs.  Kids, husband, after work volleyball league....she still runs.

I despise/envy her consistency, and the fact that she wears no makeup, yet looks gorgeously fresh after those noon workouts at the office complex gym. Her middle name might just be Wonder Woman.

Soooo, onto the "more or less" part.

I proudly tell her that I finished a SOLID 5 miles in total over the weekend (scattered across 2 days of jogging/walking).  Yes, 5 whole miles!  A record for me in the last 2 years.  No knee pain. No achilles pain.  No tears. At least I'm nearly certain it was sweat and not tears.  As I tell her of my triumphant success, I feel like I'm sharing something from the depths of my soul. An admission raw with vulnerability.  I'm certain with this accomplishment, she will see me as her equal.  We are runners!

Her response, as I look expectantly at her from my chair???

Crickets.

Nada.

Barely a grin that screamed (in my mind) "that's it??!!  You Wuss!"

At this point, my inner Tracy is slowing shrinking into the depths of my chair as I realize a bit that No, I am not quite her running equal.  

Ahhhhh but then... her inner novice-runner began to feel that kindred spirit after all, and she said "that's a great start Tracy."  I felt better. Justified. Recognized. Accepted.

The moral of the story is this: We are all running the same race.  It's true!  Your distance might be shorter or longer than mine, but we're both going for the same thing.  The accomplishment of doing better than before.  Being the best "me" we can be.  We're both trying to widdle that spare tire and those trusty birthing hips.  Trying to find the physical body, stamina and sometimes, flat out courage to try the things that we used to do years ago.  Things that we used to be good at, that used to come EASY.

Life is always threatening to get in the way of the journey.  Especially as we have kids, spouses, move into new homes and neighborhoods, make job transitions, lose loved ones, overcome hardships.  The one constant is that we are all moving forward, one step at a time and it's okay to take breaks on the side of the road, regroup and keep plugging away.

While my running over the weekend was not the same as hers, I also revel in the fact that I'm trying new things besides the tried and true activies of my past.  A friend got me to try beginner's hockey this year. What a blast.  Be encouraged to find something you can put your name next to and give it a shot!