Another missed day. The plan was to run Friday and finish week 2 on Sunday, then start week 3 on Tuesday and get back on my Tue/Thu/Sat schedule. But I was foolish to think I could get out and run on the same day we were to meet my sister for breakfast, pack, and check out of the hotel by 11AM. Even moving our checkout to noon, we barely made it out on time.
So, Day 2 of Week 2 happened this morning. So, about this morning. First, we got home around 9PM last night after a lot of driving and, thanks to caffeine, while exhausted, I couldn’t sleep until late. So I woke up late. This means I missed the cooler weather. And not only is it warmer than I prefer, it’s also incredibly humid out there. But I pushed through and did it.
I am coming to realize that running is less about the physical activity itself and more about the mental. Pain and shortness of breath are par for the course. It takes tenacity, stubborness, and no small amount of self-pride (a close cousin of self-shaming but far more positive and effective) to push through it. Where I would have stopped in the past to catch my breath or rub my leg, I push through. I think about how good it will feel to know I completed another day. I think about how much more healthy I am getting by doing this and what that means for my life as I get older (and after spending a few days visiting my mother who just had knee-replacement surgery, I am even more sensitive to the issues of aging). And I think about what kind of model I am setting for my son.
So, it sucked today and I am sweating buckets (and that means I can’t get into the shower until I stop or I will just keep on sweating even afterwards which is, frankly, nasty) but I also feel fantastic that I did it. And that’s what I have to hold on to moving forward.