An amazing run

I wish all runs were like the one I had today. It was right at forty degrees, the warmest it's been in MONTHS and it was too nice to pass up. And my run. Some runs are hard. Your feet feel like cement, every step wreaks havoc on your thighs and your calves start burning on the way up your first hill. Today definitely wasn't effortless, but it was freeing and lovely and it was just running. Just going. Breathing, feeling my feet hit the pavement, seeing the sun cast shadows on the ground.

My feet would propel me toward and a hill and then let me float on down. It was one of the best runs I've had. My last run that was that good was before Thanksgiving. That's a while ago.

I think my brain needed this run. I've been running on the treadmill because it's been insanely cold out. On the treadmill my brain isn't distracted. It's just bouncing up and down with the rhythm of my steps. It's watching the clock count down, it's watching the calories add up and it's watching the miles click by. I've tried putting a towel over the monitor, but when there's not even a TV to look at, the minutes are so slow, even my music didn't help much. I race myself. I race to the next mile, the next calorie count ending in zero and I race the minutes. No, only one more minute. Then when that's up, only one more minute. There's only so much you can do.

I was doubting my ability to run the 5k I'm signed up for at the end of next month. I was so uninspired by the treadmill that it was just harder and harder to make those 3.5 miles pass by. Today, today changed all of that. I ran and laughed and when I was done I shouted into the chilly air and pumped my fist. I was SO excited! It was definitely amazing.