Reflection: My Relationship with Running

I enjoy running.  Towards the end of high school it was one of my favorite activities.  I ran in college, and participated in plenty of 5K and 10K races on campus.  I remember getting a phone call at 2am one Saturday night (Sunday morning) asking if I wanted to run a 10K trail run in the morning.  I was at IHOP eating pancakes with friends, but yes.  I did.  And I rocked it.  Fast forward a few years and I'm in the military, loving running again.  Smashed the Army female standard for the 2 mile run and maxed out my first-ever record PT test.  Loved it.  

But of course, I have gone through my ups and downs with running.  Here and there it just didn't fit into my lifestyle, my schedule, or I just plain didn't enjoy it.  I've recently come out of my longest non-running streak in a decade.  I didn't run much in Iraq, and when I got home I was just enjoying life too much to bother with running.  Then, I had my son.  There goes another year and a half of non-running.  I started running on the treadmill when my son was almost a year old.  But then I finally found a job, which made finding the time to run just too hard. I barely got to see my kid anymore, how was I supposed to squeeze an extra half hour or so into the day to run?  I tried to make it work, going to the gym directly after work, foregoing the chance to kiss my little one goodnight and see him before bed.  Eventually I got burnt out and couldn't keep doing it.  Life changes so much when you're a mom.  Priorities shift.  But eventually, I knew I would get back to running one day.   

So, I started running again at the start of 2013.  I missed it.  I missed feeling of my feet hitting the pavement.  I missed the challenge.  The sore muscles.  The feeling of accomplishment after running farther or faster that the week before.  I downloaded the MapMyRun app, tied on my running shoes, and went for a jog.  As out of shape as I was, it felt great.  I didn't do too bad, either!  I treated myself to new running shoes and started making it a habit again.  

Shortly after starting up with the running again, I got talked into signing up to run a half marathon.  I did a half back in 2007, but I didn't do very well (2:45:02) and was simply not as prepared as I should have been.  That isn't going to happen again.  I'm motivated.  I know I can do it, I just want to challenge myself and do better.  Now everything has changed.  I have a goal.  I have a plan.  I need to train.  

So when it got too cold and snowy outside, I moved to running indoors.  I have no "extra" time in my schedule, but I find the time to run.  If it means running after work and not getting home until 10:30pm, getting up early on a weekend, bundling up to face the elements on a 21 degree day, I'll do it.  I've been doing it.  And now I have less than 8 weeks left until the big race.  I'm very upset that spring is not actually here yet, because treadmill running is a poor replacement for road running.  Necessary and helpful, but certainly not the same thing.  I am looking forward to warmer weather and nice long runs outside to get prepared for race day.  I'm really enjoying this journey, and finding that having a goal to work towards makes all the difference in the world.