Running

I started running the first week we arrived, and it was hard!

Damn hard.

You may relate, but I stopped moving - stopped trying.  My energy levels lacked ... energy!

I knew what I should do but I didn't do it.  Things like:

Drink more water! (if my husband was a doctor - this would be his only prescription)
Eat more fruit.
Go to bed early...
Get up early and go for a run.  Ok - walk?
Read your devotions.
Get really organised.....
And so on...

How about - roll over & finish your dream before it fades away into oblivion..
Or roll over & go back to a deep sleep.... or just pull the covers over my head & embrace another minute of not thinking, not being responsible, not having to - do.

I know - I'm just so guilty of retreating - & stopping.

But at some point you need to get moving again - so, as they say, a change is as good as a holiday - so I changed my whole life - moved to another state (& to the beach which was really great!) & decided to start moving.

Two years ago I completed a half marathon which is 21 kilometres of running - which was hard!

But you can't keep up the stamina of a half marathon-er if you don't keep running.
If you stop - you once again become a blob - unfortunately.

So I decided to join the local Park Run community & start running again.

It's hard to put into words how hard the first run was.  Beginning again is always hard because it hurts.  Your legs hurts - your knees hurt - your sides hurt & your brain hurts!

Around the halfway mark - your brain starts screaming at you that you are an idiot & it's not humane to push your body to the limits in this way! But there is also an element of pride that if you give up & pull out then your husband waiting at the finish line (because he's fit & has already finished) will deep down think you're a quitter (because you quit) & it will be an annoying ride home.  And deep down you know you should finish. 

So I finished in just under 40 minutes - equalling 8 minutes per km.

You would have seen marathon runners finishing their long gruelling 42km marathons!! They can hardly walk because their legs have turned to jelly, can't breathe - & collapse (understandably) as soon as they cross the finish line.

Well that's what I looked like at the end of my first 5km in our new town.  My face was bright red & I desperately wanted to collapse (& ask for oxygen - where were the medic tents!??) but my pride willed my legs to stay upright as I hobbled over to my husband with a euphoric high five - I made it to the finish!

Hallelujah!!

So the next two park runs have felt as gruelling - but something is happening.  I have cut one minute off each run.   So now I am down to 36 minutes.   My goal is under 33 minutes - because when I was a fit half marathon runner (with a different body) that was my personal best (PB).  And I want to get better.

The greatest thing I learnt while running was that you are running against yourself - not all the people passing you as you are gasping for air flailing at the wind trying to find your stupid ear piece thats fallen out again as you listen to Bohemian Rhapsody on repeat....

You aren't the loser if you come last - you're the loser if you quit on yourself.

You are running a race that is similar to the race of life.  You just have to keep getting up - even if your face looks like a beetroot & you come in just shy of a minute! (well done for finishing!!!!!!!)

Running means you are moving - and moving is what we need to do in life.  It gets our heart pumping our blood, it gets our mind focused & working for us - and it propels us into action as we were created to do not just be.

We have gift-sets & uniquenesses (is this a word?) & wonderful ways the world needs to see.  And they won't see them if we are still under the covers at 10am.  (Saturdays are fine)

So I'll update you on my running journey.  Hoping 2019 brings a new PB - but more importantly that at the end of this year there will be stories to tell, new friends, love, laughter & a much lighter spring in my step.