finding me.apace

I've started running. This is something I never thought I'd do. Ever. Unless it was for my life, in which case it would be a really short chase, I would leave what I called 'pointless running' to the athletes.

I'm not really sure what changed my mind but I found the Couch to 5k program. The idea of running even for one minute rather freaked me out. I would pass out surely. Yet, I tried. In November. It's a 9-week program and winter was coming. I knew I didn't have the stamina to run through a a New England winter so I decided to retry in the spring. It took a while...until after the semester and I'd purchased proper running shoes. That done, in July I set off again.

A Twitter pal tweeted the pic above. She said she needed a reminder of this because putting yourself through the paces of physical transformation can be so subtle (and slow) sometimes. I was feeling beat down the other day when my legs just didn't have it. But then I sat down and thought about the fact that in a little more than a month I've gone from being not sure I could run for 1 minute to running for multiple 5-minute stints in the same workout. And I was amazed.

The post-run high has become my drug. I see a definite improvement in my mood. I'm liking this, anticipating the runs and I never thought I'd say that. I was not a runner. In adjusting to fact that my body adapts to my endeavors to be better much quicker than my mind I'm seeing the truth of the mind-over-matter idea, understanding that most obstacles to self-improvement are mental...understanding the Biggest Loser contestants. In facing my fears about my physical capabilities I'm growing and learning...I'm not where I was. I like that.