mile one: …it’s so cold!…legs – why are you defying me?…there’s so much lint on my running pants…
mile two: …it’s so hot!…tall…strong core…spring off the balls of my feet…i smell bacon…
mile three: …
mile four: …
mile five: …i’ve never had a pot brownie before, but i wonder if it would make me feel this good…joy!…hello, world!!…
mile six:…it’s over?…
Runners’ highs sure are unpredictable. I thought they were gifted to you after a run or maybe during some kind of physical peak, not right as you began running. The High hit me as soon as I stepped foot on the trail. It’s possible that I was feeling extra good. Or maybe it was the caffeine. No matter. The run had me feeling extremely grateful.
I love to run on the trail along the ocean. It’s probably hell on my knees, but I’m not a sprinter or a galloper, nor do I run the entire time, so I feel like I’m not punishing them too much. After I completed my first 10k on New Year’s day, I was grateful to have finished. I didn’t care where I placed or if I lost time to take photos of the course. It simply wasn’t enough for me to take mental pictures – I had to capture this:
The view I have on my regular runs is spectacular. I get to see things like this:
and this:
I’m grateful to be able to see and experience all of the above. And not only with my eyes.
I’m grateful to have a voice that is growing stronger and am thankful that I know when not to use that voice (you should hear some of the things that go on in my head that luckily for you, I keep to myself).
I’m grateful for my health and for limbs that keep me going. Once castigated, my legs have told me, Don’t be ashamed of us anymore. Understood. My respect to you, you healthy burritos. And I say that with affection, not in a snarky way, per my usual self.
I’m also grateful for forums like this. For all of the Internet’s overindulgence and creepy-uncle aspects, it also opens up a world where people can connect in the best ways possible. It helps me grow and learn and discover. And in return, I hope I can extend that energy back out into the world.
As I mentioned in a post a year ago, I used to look at runners and think, “Really, now. Why?? Where are you even going?”
Where am I going?
Everywhere, with grateful intention go I…
Victory!!
Today was the first day I actually felt good while running. I mean really good. My body didn’t argue with me, the weather was beautiful, my mind strong. And I felt happy.
Not every day is or will be like this, but I realized that it’s important to know this feeling, to know what it is that makes you feel good so that you can more easily recognize what feels off or wrong.
On a different note, today I learned that I can look at visitor stats for my blog. Granted, not many people go to my blog, but I was shocked to see that a few people outside of the U.S. have visited. So I have to give a shout out to:
United Kingdom
Australia
Canada
Belgium
Poland
Kenya
Of course, this doesn’t mean anyone actually read anything I wrote. They could have accidentally gone to a post, thought “What the #!%*?” and immediately clicked their heels and disappeared. But that’s okay. I mean, someone in Kenya looked at my blog. For real? Thank you, Kenya!! I love you!! In fact, I love all of you!!
I think I’m still on my runner’s high…
A real 5K through a fake town
I was kind of kidding in my last post about having a runner’s high. But something happened. I think it happened to me.
What are the signs? Slight euphoria? Feeling like you can run another race even though you’ve just completed one? Wanting to sign up for a 10K next time?
Adrenalin must have kicked in when the race started, because I never felt the lead in my legs like I usually do during the first five minutes of every run. I ran slow and steady until I couldn’t anymore…and that’s when I took the photo above. In my female age group, I finished 4th out of 17 runners. What the? I don’t know how many greyhounds were in my group, but this miniature Dachshund did pretty well. At first, I really thought there might have only been four women running in my age group. Seventeen women doesn’t seem like a lot compared to other races, but I’ll take what I can get.
I used to be one of those people who didn’t understand running. Runners, I would scoff. What the hell do you think you’re doing? Hello, you’re not heading anywhere…not like me…see? I’m getting in my car and I will end up at the bakery. Now that is a real destination!
I was talking to my hair stylist the other day and I told him that I was going to run a 5K on the lot at Universal Studios and that it was going to be fun. He gave me a Girl, you be crazy look, just like I must have given other people in the past. Somehow, I crossed over into thinking running was fun.
After the race, my friends and I immediately launched ourselves into the pancake breakfast and enjoyed that feeling of sharing a fun experience together. What could be better than that?
jane in training 