Rough Start, Good Finish

It's been a rough few days. Some days are just harder than others. When Andy suggested a run yesterday, I really didn't want to go. I was tired. I was emotional. I was feeling lazy. But, remembering my manta "Because I Can", I went. It was a perfect evening for a run, and I didn't have any good reasons to skip it.

The beginning was rough. My shins and calves burned. I thought of a million reasons to stop. I did stop for a little while. I allowed myself to walk to the paved section. Then I ran the rest. I was using the couch to 5k app and ran a little extra at the end to make up for walking. I ran for 25 minutes without stopping. Slow, but I did it. Once I got past my negative thinking the run went pretty well, and I felt good when it was over. I need to run more consistently. It makes me happy.

Source

On Saturday the whole family is participating in a 5k fun run/walk/bike. The girl and I are running together, and we've made a plan. We're going to do intervals for the whole thing. I'm excited. It should be a lot of fun, and I'm glad I get to share it with my girl. We 're going to be sporting some very bright ReRunning Podcast shirts.

I love them!

The whole family will be podcasting about our first family race, and it will be available at the ReRunning Podcast Relaunch - June 21st!

Normal.

Two weeks, and life continues.

Still working on getting back to "normal". I've been focusing mainly on improving my health. Exercise, healthy eating, meditation, and sleep. I have not been 100% on all of these every day, but I am trying.

Today was a small victory. I've been doing well with running. I'm still following the c25k program. Hopefully, the podcast will be back soon. Most days I really feel like I need to run. I need to be active. Because I can.*

Last week, Andy and I finished week four. We are officially halfway through the program. Then it started snowing. It's April in Vermont. You never know what you're going to get. I am looking forward to some beautiful spring running, but this is also the kind of snow I love. Today, the air is filled with big, fluffy, white flakes. They melted almost as soon as they hit the ground. It's not very cold. The air is crisp.

There is the wind. It blew steadily into my face for the first half of my run. The pretty snow had turned into something closer to rain but still with the sting of ice. I definitely considered turning back. I started trying to justify it. I could just walk the warm up and then turn back. I could wait until tomorrow. Maybe it won't snow tomorrow. Etc, etc, etc...

I decided to run the first run section and decide after that. I was already out there. It wasn't so bad. The wind would be at my back on the way back to my car. And, of course, I should run "because I can". I completed week five, day one of the c25k program. There was a time when running in rain/snow/wind was usual for me. It's not a big deal, but I've been avoiding it for awhile. I haven't wanted to be uncomfortable. Now, I just want to run, regardless of weather, and I am looking forward to future race training. I'm ready to challenge myself again.

Right now I am enjoying the slow build up to running again. The last two runs have felt much better. There is definitely some improvement.

*Mantra 2018

ReRunning.

I have missed running so much. I am loving the couch to 5k program that I am doing with Andy. It's short, manageable, and there is no thinking involved. I love not having to think. Just get out the door and go.

I really love being able to be active again. Last week was a great week. Not only did I do my 3 C25K runs, but I also crushed my old bench press PB by 15#. I can bench 100#, which may not seem like much to other people, but it is huge for me. I feel like I've been stuck at 85# forever. It's nice to be able to lift heavy again, too.

It's been several weeks now, and I am still blown away by how much was affected by my parathyroid. Something as simple as calcium can throw everything out of whack. I promise I'll stop talking about it eventually, but I am still amazed every day by how great I feel and how much energy I have.

It's a good thing I have all this new energy because Andy and I have completely committed to running again. We've started a podcast about our rerunning adventures. It's still in its infancy, but you can check it out here. It is also available through iTunes, Stitcher, and Google Play. Subscribe and follow along. The C25k is only the tip of the rerunning iceberg.