Taking the first steps...
Running has always been the one thing that makes sense in my life. Sometimes I hate it with every breath, but it has always been a part of me. Through changing schools, changing friends, moves to all new states, a long-running, long-distance relationship--one thing has been constant. I can always lace up my shoes, put in some earbuds, and go.
I first considered writing down my thoughts on running during a high period a few months ago. I was finishing up a 15k training plan, I was running distances further than I had finished in years. I was psyched to be running the Boilermaker in Utica, New York again for the second time with my dad. Then, the race didn't go the way I hoped. I got back home and I struggled to keep my momentum going. My work shifts kept changing. I had some aches and pains. The usual list of offenders stacked up, and I felt like my one respite was out to get me. That's where I am now. That's why I decided to start writing now.
Like running, writing has helped me stay steady through the ups and downs in my admittedly blessed life. I'm in a down now. I'm struggling to get my laces tight enough, to get my stride just right, to keep my breathing steady and push my pace. I'm not just talking about running. But every day, I get up, I slip on my sneakers and I get after that invisible goal ahead of me, because if running has taught me anything, it's taught me this: For every day where I'm gasping for breath and struggling to take another step, there's a day where I'm hitting my fastest mile time in years, a day where I am so in the zone a mile passes in the blink of an eye. The high of those days is worth the low of all the days in between chasing it again.
I first considered writing down my thoughts on running during a high period a few months ago. I was finishing up a 15k training plan, I was running distances further than I had finished in years. I was psyched to be running the Boilermaker in Utica, New York again for the second time with my dad. Then, the race didn't go the way I hoped. I got back home and I struggled to keep my momentum going. My work shifts kept changing. I had some aches and pains. The usual list of offenders stacked up, and I felt like my one respite was out to get me. That's where I am now. That's why I decided to start writing now.
Like running, writing has helped me stay steady through the ups and downs in my admittedly blessed life. I'm in a down now. I'm struggling to get my laces tight enough, to get my stride just right, to keep my breathing steady and push my pace. I'm not just talking about running. But every day, I get up, I slip on my sneakers and I get after that invisible goal ahead of me, because if running has taught me anything, it's taught me this: For every day where I'm gasping for breath and struggling to take another step, there's a day where I'm hitting my fastest mile time in years, a day where I am so in the zone a mile passes in the blink of an eye. The high of those days is worth the low of all the days in between chasing it again.
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