On Becoming a Runner

I have decided that I want to be a runner. 

I'm not sure where that came from. I don't know why I chose being a runner as opposed to any other sport or weight lifting. I just know that's what I want to be. I've already stated that I want to run a marathon someday. But this is more than that.

I want to love to run. I want to be one of those people who feels at one with the pavement. Who feels at home there. Who gets their best thinking done when running. Who deals with stress or anxiety or worry by "running it out."

I already love walking. Maybe not to quite the same extent as I've just described… but close and getting there. And I figure if I already love walking… then loving running is really just a matter of time, miles, and improving my fitness. Where running becomes just as easy to me as walking is.

 

It's coming. I can keep myself awake for hours dreaming of running. Of planning my training sessions. Of dreaming about different routes I can take. I am living for the spring. Not new for me as I loathe the winter with all the energy of my soul. But the reason I'm living for spring is for the warmer temperatures and the increase of daylight hours so I can take my running outside instead of the treadmill. This winter has been beautiful and unseasonably warm, so I've started doing my Saturday runs outside. And this past Monday, I walked to the gym… using that as my warm-up and cardio time instead of driving there and getting on the treadmill. Monday is a weights day… so I don't want to just skip the gym altogether. And I'm not loving night running during the winter because even though it's been beautiful lately… the nights still get a little chilly. So, I'm still hitting the treadmill on my running days. But I dream about the return of Daylight Savings Time and the longer hours of daylight… when I  can skip the gym altogether on those three days. 

I visualize myself as a runner. I'm thin. I'm athletic. And I can run a respectable pace. Maybe not a fast pace… but a respectable running (jogging) pace. In my mind, I see myself as those runners in magazines and on running websites. I don't see myself as 246 pounds and slogging away at what is really more of a brisk walk than a real jog. Which is where I'm at now. But that's okay. Because I have to start somewhere. And at least I'm starting. I saw a quote on Pinterest that read "Dead last trumps did not finish, which beats did not start."And that's what I'm doing. I'm starting. And since I'm a believer in The Secret… I believe that my visualization of myself at where I want to be instead of where I am is a good thing. 

And I believe that I can get there. 

*Note: When I was typing this blog, the emotion and passion I was feeling seemed to lend itself to a different format than I usually write in. I try to keep my fonts legible and my formatting easy to read. It's part of what I look for in blogs. So I sincerely apologize is my "centered" formatting throws you off. If it's a problem, let me know and I can reformat it back.