Run For Your Life

Last December, I had met my weight goal through some maddening months (I mostly ate the salt off pretzels all day and then spent my points on wine or chocolate at night) on Weight Watchers. I love that program and if need be would do it again in a heart beat. Despite the fact that it is SUPER hard; it is manageable due to the power to use the points how you wish. Anyways, I was at my goal weight, but, well..I looked like I'd had two babies in 2.5 years and then lost the weight. If you've had at least one baby, you know what I mean. I was stretchy (with stretch marks, mind you. what??). I was like Gumby. I knew that I needed to work out again.

I've worked out in some form or fashion for most of my life, but from the time I got pregnant with Hadley through Charley's birth there was not a lot of exercise up in here unless you count lifting the dadgum double stroller which is actually terribly strenuous. SO...I began running for NO other reason than it was easy to manage with both girls. No gym. No equipment. No membership. No certain time. I ran when I could. My first official jog was two days before Christmas and it was two miles long. It was hard. I gradually added to the distance for a few weeks. My fabulous friend Marie was such an inspiration. She was telling us all about her marathon training. I could NOT fathom running that kind of distance. Seriously. What kind of crazy voluntarily person runs for that long? It makes no sense. Then the crazy gene kicked in and I signed up for a half marathon. I trained for about twelve weeks. My first few longer runs (6 and 8  miles) were so hard for me. I came home after six and had to take a nap. During the first 8 miler I wanted to quit. Give up. Throw in the towel. I was so far from home I had to keep running just to get back, so I did.

The half was hard and great.  Marie, so kind and generous-a true teacher/coach's spirit, ran with me the whole time. She is fast and I am not. She could have finished much sooner, but stayed by my side. Super nice. I finished in 2 hours and 10 minutes which was actually much faster than I had planned. As soon as I finished, I knew a marathon would be in my future.

Marie and me pre-half marathon. We're not really proponents of post race photo ops for obvious reasons.

My post half marathon runs were really hard for a few weeks. I was in a funk. My motivation was low. I never gave up. I don't think I even went one week without a run, but I was not loving it. Before school let out, I signed up for a marathon to be held on 11.12.11 which is my 31st birthday.

I'm in the throws of training now. There are some days that plain suck. No other way to say it. During the summer I got up at 6:00 am and got my run in before the girls got up and before John headed to work. Now those morning runs begin at 4:30. I said, 4:30. Gross. That is too early to even get up and pee. I think there might have been one or two mornings in the past few weeks that I didn't curse my own name for getting myself into this mess; however, when my run is done for the day there is barely a greater feeling of accomplishment and health.

What I love about running is this: for most of my life my body and I have been in an ongoing argument about size and shape. Most days, months, and years were filled with the battle of the body. Running makes me feel that my body and I are on the same team. We are working for the same goal. We are in this together. I appreciate what my body can do. I am amazed that my mind can make the body do what it doesn't want to do. It is a true mind over matter situation. Having mental control over the body makes me want to be nicer to it. I want to feed it better, rest it better, and listen to what it is saying instead of yelling at it for not being small enough, tight enough, or fit enough. My body and I are at peace with each other. Peace is a good thing.