Ahh...The Run

Oh man! It has been a while! I haven't talked to ya'll since the race...

Well, I set a 5k PR (21:47) and placed third in my age/sex category. (I feel the need to say that I would have been first in the 30-34, which I turned four days later!) Then...I took a break. A week, in fact. Didn't run at all. Barely walked. And, I allowed myself to eat peanut M&Ms for nutrition!!

Tonight, I got it back. I ran. And ran. I started off with a jog, then picked up the tempo, then started sprinting...took it back down to a jog and started all over again. And it felt good. My body was ready. My muscles were healed. My mind was fresh. And my feet were swift. I looked at my surroundings and thought about the beauty in nature and how running allows me to be a part of that for just that moment. It is very freeing.

Sometimes running became a task to take care of before starting my day and, methodically, I would get up and run. Tonight's run was empowering. My mind and body naturally picked up where they left off. I have run for almost three years now. It is amazing to look back at the different phases of my running and see where my mind was at the time. When I first started, it was to lose weight. Then it became a way to relieve stress. Then I started entering races to cross the finish line. Then I started racing. Then I wanted to run long distance. Now I just want to run.

I cannot say I am the fastest runner but I can say that I am probably one of the more passionate ones. I enjoyed my break (and the M&Ms)...but I love being back!