Present:
Since running that first post-high school race in 2009 and completing my surgery in the fall of that year, I've run three 5k, three 10k, one 5-miler, and two half marathons. Even when I wasn't running competitively, I ran because it is part of who I am and because it makes me feel good. It grounds me. Running allows me to free my mind and body and just be, as cheesy as that sounds.
Since running that first post-high school race in 2009 and completing my surgery in the fall of that year, I've run three 5k, three 10k, one 5-miler, and two half marathons. Even when I wasn't running competitively, I ran because it is part of who I am and because it makes me feel good. It grounds me. Running allows me to free my mind and body and just be, as cheesy as that sounds.
Not that I ever look for an excuse to get out of something I love doing - Running - but I think we all go through phases where we think we are too stressed out to possibly fit in just one more 60 minute thing. I know that is definitely my story sometimes, until I remember that when I'm feeling stressed or can't seem to finish a project for a looming deadline, or can't get my head around something, running is often the answer.
Unfortunately, the moving process was really stressful for me this fall. I jumped in and out of different work situations throughout July and August and ended up here, and I have now slowly broken back into running after a long hiatus of about two months. It is slow going, but I am optimistic mainly because I know that I am a runner. It is a way that I identify myself as a person, and it means a lot to me personally because every time I lace up my shoes, I feel so thankful for my healthy, pain-free body.
It's also a great excuse to get outside, no matter where I am. I am not a gym type of girl. I would MUCH rather bundle up and freeze my noogies off for 40 minutes than run on a treadmill. (Gotta EARN that hot shower!) I have certainly caved and gone to the gym in the past during college, when the gym facilities were free to students and the weather was just downright nasty, but for the most part I try to keep my gym-going down to using it for something I can't do at home or outside: Swim laps, for example.
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| January 2012, 0*F and my water bottles froze during an 8-miler |
I'm fortunate to have an awesome at-home setup which is portable and small, including a great free-weight set, yoga equipment, and a bike trainer which I use pretty frequently once it gets too icy for me to take the bike outside. Here in Montreal, I don't have access to a free gym, which is a bummer if only for the swimming thing. I've heard many a tale of the brutal Montreal winters, so I am going to see how things go. Already it is well into fall. Like anything else, I'll see how it goes and if necessary, buy a gym pass for the mcgill gym during winter semester. Until then, I'm sticking with outside.
In terms of goals, I just want to get back into my fast, secure, shape again. Hill workouts galore, easing back into longer distances. I ran a few long runs this summer in the mountains and in the trails, so I'd like to work my way back up. I don't have any races in mind just yet. I'm going to wait until the spring for that...other than the Cleveland turkey trot, which I ran last year and had a BALL running! My dad came down to cheer me on:
Looking forward to doing that again this year. So that's my goal: PR at the 5-mile distance.
More updates to come on running as I get back into my training!
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