The Greatest Reward

Last week when I was on vacation I did lots and lots of reading by the pool. It was glorious. I don’t usually have a ton of time to really sit down and plow through a book so I took advantage of the time and checked a bunch of books out of the library. Some were, of course, running related.

One of them was Mile Markers: The 26.2 Most Important Reasons Why Women Run by Kristin Armstrong. The amazon page for the book is here.

I really enjoyed this book, and it was a pretty quick read. There was one passage that stood out to me that I really wanted to share. I think it summarizes how a lot of runners may feel. It is from the “love/hate” chapter of the book (the bolded parts were bolded by me).

“I realized that I am out here, most day of every week, pursuing something that does not come naturally or easily to me. And I have been doing this for 5 years. Never in my life, before running, did I ever push hard after something that did not rank high on the list of things that come easily to me. I have always aspired to and excelled at things that I was really good at…But running isn’t like that for me. It’s hard for me. I struggle. I suffer. I get discouraged. I get mad. I celebrate, sometimes…

I love it in the way you love a rivalrous sibling, a deep-tissue massage, a session with your therapist, childbirth, or a big fight with someone you love. It doesn’t always feel good at the moment but ultimately you are a better person for it.

So I may not always run the way I want to run or race the way I imagine myself racing…but there is a certain endurance rush reserved for those of us who have to work extra hard just to stand at the start line and dream.

There is a unique beauty to pursuing the glow that resides just beyond our reach.“

I have to push myself just to get out there. Running doesn’t come naturally to me, it never has, and it may never. It is so so worth it when you cross that “finish line” though, whether it be for a daily run or a race.

Pushing yourself beyond your reach is the greatest reward.

Weekend Recap

It’s Monday again!  How was your weekend?

It was quiet on the blog front because we went to Washington DC for a friends baby shower and another friends birthday party.

I was pretty psyched because Saturday morning I actually woke up early to head down to the hotel gym to get in a run. But, man, treadmills really suck, even during this time of year when its freezing cold outside, I’d rather be outside. I managed to get in 20 minutes though, and considered that a success.

We spent the rest of Saturday at the shower and birthday party, snacking on various appetizers and drinking mimosas and beer.

Yesterday I woke up feeling super crappy. My throat was sore and my head felt dizzy. So I slept 90% of the way back in the car. I planned to run 6 miles when we got back into town, and get to the grocery store to stock up, but neither of them happened. The hubby and I felt super exhausted.

My shin was also sore – probably from the treadmill running, I seem to run into that issue – so I spent the evening relaxing with a cup of team, icing my shin and reading Catching Fire.Side note – I keep getting side tracked with Catching Fire. I don’t know what my issue is because I loved the first Hunger Games book. Something about this one is just not sucking me in quite as quickly. Anyone else have that issue?

My shin is still sore today so I’m thankful I’ve got yoga on the agenda. It’s not quite as taxing on my shins as running is. 😉

I’m going to Hot Power Yoga again tonight.. I was sore for two days after last time  but loved the work out I got, so I’m ready to give it another shot.

Zumba classes also start tomorrow, I can’t wait!

Planned workouts for the week
Monday – Hot Power Yoga
Tuesday – Zumba
Wednesday – 30 minute easy run
Thursday – 35 minute tempo run
Friday – EA Active abs n arms
Saturday – Rest
Sunday – 6 miles

Lets make this week a good one!