Life =A Series of runs

This morning, about to head out for a short 25 minute run… My body was on board completely! I had taken my Spark and felt like I had so much energy! Preparing for the run… sippy cup, fruit pouch, play doh, phone with music, water bottle – DONE. We are ready. We let the toddler down for his run to the end of our street. It’s not long and he is tuckered and ready to be seated in the stroller for Dad to push (Dad’s a stronger runner than I am). We start the run.

I feel good, my legs feel smooth, my arms are loose, and mentally I am feeling confident… for about 8 minutes that is… It’s not long and the air is harder and harder to take in. (It’s very hot and humid in Florida) I am struggling to get air. Finally the one mile marker goes off and I stop trying to catch my breath… at this point I am unsure that I can go on. Josh is quick to give me the positive reinforcements that I need. The next 5 minutes it’s all I can do to just keep going. Chandler then pipes up, “Mom, are you all out? Can you keep going Mama? You can do it!” I then decide yes he’s right and I can do this. Mentally I am struggling because I have ran way longer distances a little faster than we were going…

The next 10 minutes feel alright and my mind starts turning. I kind of forgot that I was running, and all these situations that I have ever been  a part of start flashing… I start telling myself I am not a quitter and that I am going to finish… It’s at that point I have to walk a little… I’m not mad that I am walking. I catch my breath and it hits me!

Life is made up of a series of runs. I say this because first off I have ran a lot! On those runs I have felt happy and in control! I have felt angry and mad at the world! I have been able to go crazy long distances, and then there are days that i can’t go very far at all! There are days that I finish and I feel like I am on top of the world. There are also days that I finish and I have to check my pulse to see if I’m actually still alive! There are days that I have had crazy blisters, shin splits, calves felt like they were being ripped from the bone… Moments that my hips feel like they are out of place. There are times when I reach my goal and others where I fall short. Days when I want to shout from the roof top how happy I am that I finished! There are days when I am mortified at my time. There are times I have to stop and catch my breath! There are times when I am the motivator and others that I am in need of the motivation! There are times I can sprint and times that I have to walk and even that hurts.

Through all of these moments there is only one thing that is true in every single run that I have ever completed I have never said I regret going on that run! I regret taking that chance! Those words have never come out of my mouth. I have said and will continue to say, “that was hard! So So So So hard, but I am glad that I did it.” I have and will continue to say, “I will try again.”

Back to my run this morning, I caught my breath and finished strong. This is my day to day life isn’t it??? We all have days that we are so proud of our achievements, we are have days that we are mortified at things that we have all done or said. We all have days that go to shit, and we all have days that are fabulous along with everything in between. My hope is that after each day good or bad or some where in the middle we all will say, “that was hard! So So So So hard, but I am glad that I did it.” That we will all continue to say, “I will try again.”

Life is a series of runs and we just have to be willing to take that first step. We have to be willing to try again, and we have to be willing to ask for help! We have to be willing to offer help! We have to make the choice to run again!