I have forgotten how much I love running. I am back into it! After a bit of a hiatus, today was the day to start! New shoes – check (do NOT run in two year old running shoes…. I knew that, just didn’t follow it this year), knee feeling better – check (even wore knee wrap to make sure). I was ready to run. Not that I didn’t enjoy the bike rides lately, but it was not the same. Yes, the plan was an early morning run, but after last night’s episode of not sleeping well I could not get out of bed. Then, after school I visited some people I had not seen in awhile. I needed to do that, so I ran late tonight. I find that is the best time lately. Especially with the heat and humidity. It is worth it. You come home late, but then you have lots of energy. I needed energy as I just took cupcakes out of the oven. I promised my students I would make cupcakes for our half day tomorrow. They seem to like it when I bake. I do not do it often, but hey it is the end of the year. I already have another student bringing in a snack the last day to celebrate their birthday, so it was make them tonight or never. So, I need the energy. I still have to frost them – ha. I find that running helps me clear my head and just relax. Once you get into the rhythm it is wonderful!
I am so glad that I ran. I did pretty well too! Not too shabby running 45 minutes! It is a good start to get back into the routine! With school ending soon, I hope to get up early, early in the morning to run. I will definitely be able to do this after a little travel adventure for work next week. However, I am told that the hotel has an excellent exercise room. If I can’t get up early, then I will go late at night. I will admit, I am looking forward to some free days! They are much needed.
You may ask, why do people run? I am sure that many people have different reasons. I will tell you mine. First, it is great exercise. This year, I have no plans to run races. This is the first year I have decided not to. Well, I have not ruled it out, but I am not signed up for any – no half-marathons, no 5K, no 10K, nothing. I would like to run a half-marathon but I can’t find any that do not interfere with my trip. So, I am just running. I find that it is great exercise and helps keep my weight in check. Also, remember, I read the Daniel Plan book. One of the 5 F’s of the Daniel Plan is fitness. You need to find something like you like for fitness. I really enjoy running. Running is fitness!
The second reason why I run,is that it helps me keep my emotions in check. When I am angry or upset, I find that running calms me. I will just go for a run (and usually run hard). However, when I am done, I feel so much better. It is better to run, than to just get mad and possibly say something you might regret to someone. I call it running off steam. It helps me to run off the energy and to think about what is happening in my life while running.
The third reason why I run, is it is a great time to think. This is true especially if you run early in the morning when you do not see a lot of people yet you are surrounded by the beauty of nature, hear birds, see rabbits, deer, etc., or you run late at night when you just have the streetlights, not as many people, etc. I find that I can get a lot of thinking done. I have conversations with myself inside my head. It is wonderful! I do my best thinking then.
Why did I post that quote about running? Because I find that it is very true. Anyone can run. I started running years ago on a dare. I do NOT put dares down people. Once I started, I fell in love with it. Granted it was a dare to run a big race (which I did complete 🙂 ). But, I found that when I stopped running I felt as thought I was missing something. I kept it up. I did take a year off now and then, but I always came back to it. You do not need expensive equipment, long hard training hours at the gym, lots of protective gear, etc. All you need is a good pair of shoes and a road, field, fitness trail, anywhere to run. You just put one foot in front of the other! There are no excuses!
We all need outlets in our life. I find that running helps me both physically, as well as emotionally.
What outlets do you have in your life?
