Step One...

Step 1. Get up when the alarm goes off at 4:30
 Step 2. Bathroom while coffee brews
  Step 3. Drink coffee and have some quiet time
   Step 4. Get dressed and RUN

 As I referred to in my last post, this winter has been long. The weather has been less than ideal, I've been a bit tired from working 2 jobs and of course my semester schedule was strange, causing me to need to be at work a little earlier. So, I don't share that to complain, I'm sharing that to talk about how the struggle to exercise has been real, which makes the success feel all the greater.

 I love my exercise time. Temperatures have never bothered me when it comes to running. And getting up early in the morning has never been an issue for me. But this winter it has been a challenge. And many days... the challenge won over the determination factor I usually can put into full force.

 However, my determination cap is back on and I am running again. I MISSED it! The feeling of the fresh morning air. Greeting the day before most people have even gotten out from under the covers. Watching the sun rise. Breathing in the beauty of a new day, new beginnings. Running is part of me. Not running=not feeling completely me. That sounds totally cliche, but I am being serious. And so being back out there every morning is a very good feeling.

 Now, I am feeling like I'm at square one, on that very first run, such as I felt back in 2008 when I began the journey of running. It's a struggle. My breathing is a bit labored and my pace is even less than it used to be (which was never elite) .  And that competitive piece of me cares about that. But... the heart of me does not. It is SO good to be doing something I love again.

 I'll pick up a couple of May races, and I am not out there for a time, but I am out there because it's part of who I am. And it feels good, regardless of where I am in the pack of others. It's not about them; it's about me. It clears my head, shakes my anxieties, gives me a smile and starts me out right for my day.


And so I run again. Truthfully many of my blogs come from running because it is a time I can think without pressure and the thoughts flow freely. I learn much about myself through my training. That's a piece of the beauty in it for me. I look forward to sharing my running journey with you (again.) Sometimes priorities shift, but we should always come back to the core of who we are. Running does not define me, but it is a part of me.
 One step at a time, beginning with that alarm at 4:30 am.