running

I never thought I would be the girl WANTING to run.  When I finally decided that I was tired of being 20+ lbs overweight, I knew I needed to get cardio in, so I felt like running was my best option.  At first, I could barely run a 1/4th of a mile without stopping.  Since January, I have hit a few running milestones.  The first time I ran an entire mile, I was stoked.  Then I went 1.25, then 1.5, then 2!  2 miles without walking once!  Now that may take me a little over 20 minutes, but I can do it, and I feel awesome AFTER I do it.  Since then, I have even gone up to 2.5 miles without walking, and then a total of 3 miles (with a little walking thrown in).

Today, I ran my fastest mile.  9:15.  Then I decided to keep going.  1.5 miles in 14 min.

That's why I run.  I am past my original goal weight.  I don't really think I will lose anymore (but wouldn't complain about an extra 5lbs.).  But I keep running.

I run because it makes me push myself.  I start a run with one intention (today - run a mile to warm-up before doing some dumbbell work).  Then I decide, "I am not just going to run a mile, I am going to run the fastest mile I have."  And I do it.  I push myself, and it sucks, but I do it.  Then I get to almost a mile and decide "I can go 1.5 miles, even though I have been running faster than I typically do."  So I get to a mile, drop the treadmill's speed down a bit (b/c I was hurting), but I push myself to the 1.5 miles.

When I finish, and I look at my distance and my heart-rate monitor, I am proud of myself.  It feels good to know I am doing something healthy for my body, pushing it further than I thought I could, and thinking about how far I have come.  It is a cool feeling.

Not to mention the fact that it completely clears my mind.  All I can think about is pushing myself.  It is the most relaxing thing I have ever done for myself.

I am glad I have found something that I can use to make me feel this way!