Tuesday, December 02, 2008

Finding the Motivation

This morning I set my alarm for 6 a.m. so I could get up and run. I have no races in the near future, nothing planned until the National Half Marathon in Washington, D.C. this coming March. As I sat downstairs, eating a little nibble before I left I was wondering why I was doing this.

It hit me last week, I feel like "me" when I run. I've only been running for 2 years now, but in the past year I ran my first half marathon, the Army 10 miler (which is a really fun experience) and my first full marathon. I experienced an injury in October from the marathon that prevented me from running for about 3 weeks after the marathon. I felt a bit down, but didn't know why. Afterall, I have only been running 2 years, spent far more time not running if you think about it. When I started again it was slow going. And I'm not fast so really, it was super-slow-going. But last week on one of my runs something clicked, and all of my stresses melted away, I got lost in no thoughts at all and I realized that I felt like "me" again.

So this morning when I got up to run, even though I wanted to be warm and cozy in bed with my husband, waiting to hear the pitter patter of small feet down the hall, it was a terrific way to start my day. It was one of those mornings when I really didn't want to run but had a fantastic run afterall. And I realized that my motivation isn't just losing the few pounds I gained from eating whatever I wanted during my marathon training, it is just to feel good both physically AND mentally!

7 comments:

Robins Fam said...

An awesome inspiration! Thank you for your encouraging words.

Suzie Petunia said...

Amen, sister! I totally understand what you mean.

Laura said...

I can relate to this.

JP said...

This really hit home with me today. As someone who hasn't felt herself (with regards to running) in quite some time, this morning I actually did. I had a GOOD run...maybe even a GREAT one and I felt like me again.

Thanks for posting this. Way to go!

Anonymous said...

AAAAHHHH!!!!! I LOVE THIS BLOG!!!! I JUST RAN THE NYC MARATHON, TRAINING FOR THE LR MARATHON- AND I'M OFFICIALLY ADDICTED TO THIS BLOG.

thanks for stopping by!!!!

Unknown said...

Can I just say. . .Yes! You took the words right out of my mouth!

Jamie said...

I completely understand what you mean. I think the best thing about running is, for as little as 20 minutes or as long as a couple hours, you aren't changing diapers, disciplining, or cleaning up messes. As much as we all love our kids, it is so nice to have that solitary break.