What I Forgot About Running

This summer is flying by. In fact, the month of June went by so fast I barely remember anything about it. Except that I was sick a lot. And I didn't run very much at all. In fact, that whole not running very much at all has been stressing me out. That, along with potty-training my three year old (he is not all that interested and may stay in diapers until the age of 13), keeping my house clean because all of the sudden we have an ant infestation, paying the bills and sticking to our budget...you know, all those wonderful adult things that keep you up at night. But mostly at the top of the list - not accomplishing my running goals.



This week I have gotten in a few runs, and while I definitely feel slower than I did a month ago, it feels good to just be doing it again. Getting in regular workouts throughout my week. As I was running a really good 3.5 mile run at the county park the other night I realized something. I had been so focused on running at a certain pace for a certain amount of mileage that I had forgotten what the simple act of running could do for me. It can make my problems and the things that stress me out shrink down to completely solve able sizes. It can make any problem seem better, even my "problem" with my running. Amazing. Running can even solve a problem about running! It's simple and basic and I don't know why I forgot it.



Even though I haven't been out there that much lately, I have had a good time watching running on TV. Wes and I watched coverage of the USATF Outdoor Championships all last weekend and it was so fun. It's great to turn on ESPN and watch a sport that we both love. Plus it has been very relaxing to put Noah down for the night, grab a beer and be inspired in my very own living room. My favorite race was the women's 10,000 meters. Amy Yoder- Begley and Shalane Flanagan battling it out, lap by lap. And at the end when you were convinced that Flanagan was going to take it but then you looked at the resolve on Yoder-Begley's face and you knew she was not giving up without a fight. She ended winning and inspiring me for the second year in a row. I am going to try to summon her "don't give up" attitude more often when I run!