Pushing Through the Miles

How wonderful it would be if we could just wake in the morning, completely refreshed with new legs and boundless energy. But we all have to have days like the one I had this morning, when getting up is a chore in itself and slogging out 8 miles is the last thing I want to be doing. I admit, I was very tempted to pull the covers over my head and sleep a few more hours. On waking, I was convinced that it had been raining not long before (it had not) and I was sure that I would be wet, cold and miserable by run's end.

Still, something got me out of bed. Perhaps it was the running log I now keep beckoning to add a few more miles to this week's total, perhaps the thought of the next race I plan to run or just the fact that I would be able to tell my husband that I ran while he was sleeping in, but something got me moving and out the door.

It was pain from the beginning. I won't lie. What felt like a monumental effort was a snail's pace (note to self, don't take the Garmin when I'm feeling tired and unmotivated!). I tried to drink in the morning light, the beginning of fall appearing in the trees, but mostly, I bemoaned my exhausted energy and whined to myself. Still, I cranked out my 8 miles, including the 1/2 mile hill that leads to home.

As I hit my front door, a new feeling emerged. I had pushed through those negative feelings. I wasn't fast, but I was out there, and that was more than I had planned as I lay in bed in the dark that morning. Sometimes, the victory is in just getting out of bed and hitting the road. Sometimes it isn't about speed or intensity; sometimes just doing it is more than enough.

Feeling the hot water hit my head, a new feeling grew - pride, joy, accomplishment. This feeling is why I run - not the ribbons, not the PRs. It is just getting out there, day after day, week after week, year after year. You don't have to run fast or far to get that runner's high; you just have to run.