Mind over matter

Today was a typical Washingtonian Sunday in January. Thick clouds, rain, and cold. Don't get me wrong though: I love Washington through and through and wouldn't have it any other way.

Come three o'clock though, I would've much rather enjoyed my Sunday from inside my warm house, cuddled close to my babies, and maybe a cup of hot tea. Instead, I geared up in my long-sleeves, shorts, headband, and new running shoes and headed outdoors.

For the past three Sundays now, I've enjoyed the company of some good friends out at a local elementary school track. It's helped me stay committed, and it's been fun sharing the experience of getting back into running with others.

I was feeling sort of sluggish today, but I continued anyways. About lap 5 or 6 the rain really started to come down. No matter...Tia, Christine and I continued along anyways. You might recall I recently shared about the Courage to Start. I think today required a fair amount of courage. Today, my friend Christine showed quite a bit of courage. In spite of the weather, she managed to run 20 minutes consecutively - something she'd never done previously. And that's how it begins, doesn't it?

Running is every bit a mental sport as it is a physical one. Running is not easy. But after I finish a good, hard run like today I feel like I've really accomplished something.

It's been said that for every mile you run, you extend your life by 10 minutes. Perhaps one day, when I'm older and my days of running dwindle, I will enjoy the 30 minutes of extra life I earned today enjoying a Sunday afternoon indoors, lazily reading a good book and sipping my latte.

Photo credit Mylene Bressan