It’s the first day of spring! Time to celebrate and break out the lighter clothes, right?! Well, not if you live in the midwest, unfortunately. That little groundhog, Punxsutawney Phil, may have predicted an early spring, but we’re still waiting for the evidence here in Iowa. This morning I was greeted with grey skies, a cold blast of air, and even snow flurries when I left my house at 5am to instruct spin! Alas, I digress.
Here is the “Quote of the Week”:
“Focus on what it’s like to be outdoors, to feeling your body move, to the relationships you may have built through running. These are experiences that can be reproduced with every run—you don’t need a good finish time to produce them. By shifting the focus from results to running itself you’ll feel empowered.”
-Jim Taylor, PhD, a sports psychologist and author of Prime Sport: Triumph of the Athlete Mind, The Bliss List, RunnersWorld.com
This pretty much says it perfectly for me during the course of the past 2 months. I’ve buckled down, refocused, and remembered what made me fall in love with this sport. It’s the feeling of freedom when I’m on the streets or a trail. It’s the friends I’ve made. It’s the feeling of empowerment and satisfaction that washes over me at the end of each run. Those factors remain consistent and are key to me. My friend Andrea C. and I were talking about this on our run yesterday afternoon. Running is like a drug. I need it. And this is why.
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About runstilettos
Running since: 2005
I started with thinking 2 miles was impossible! I ran/walked 5ks for a whole summer before I was convinced I could run 3 miles straight without stopping. From there, I signed up for the Des Moines Half Marathon and (quietly) freaked out every week as the mileage increased during training. I continued doing 2-3 half marathons each year. I was completely happy with my running and stated time and time again- I had absolutely NO interest in running a full marathon EVER.
Then, in 2009, I got a stress fracture in my left foot training for the Vegas Half. After weeks of getting steroid treatments and physical therapy, I showed up in Vegas and attempted to run. I made it to mile 7 before my foot completely gave out- walked to mile 8 where I found a cop who put me in an ambulance- THAT was a crazy ride through Vegas!! :) (NEVER again will I complain about high race registration fees- that unnecessary ambulance ride didn't cost me a dime!)
SO, not being able to finish that race gave me the sane thought that I will recover AND I will run a full marathon. Which, I did run and finish in 2010- the Chicago Marathon. And now I'm hooked :) Runner's high?
Running Buddy: Bisou, my (almost) 3 year old Weimerarner
Favorite time to run: early morning (I don't think my mind or body is awake enough to know what I'm putting it through :)
Goal: Run Paris Marathon for my 35th birthday. God has clearly planned this fabulous race to be held around my birthday, so it's a definite sign I must run it for this milestone.
I need to shift my focus. Thanks.
Like we talked about yesterday, maybe cycling will be your new drug, something that gets you excited for the time being
Running can be a supplement!