Thoughts on running

Hi friends!  How are you today?  Can you believe it is almost Halloween?!  Time is just flying by!

I have been giving a lot of thought to running lately.  Do you run?  Do you like it?  I have never been a runner.  Actually, I have never done very much exercise at all.  I just don’t like it – I know, that sounds terrible!

But, lately (well, ever since we moved to Oregon) I have made a goal for myself to run six days a week.  SIX!  That seems crazy!  The reason I decided to go from not exercising, to running every day was actually because of a conversation I had with my husband.  I was telling him that I just don’t know what everyone is talking about when they say they like running.  I mean, how can you really like running?!  And he told me that it was because I had never ran consistently before.  We talked about it for awhile and it all started to click for me.  Because I only run sometimes, my body can never keep up or stay fit because I lose everything I am working for every time I take a few days off (or in my case, months!).

Now I should clarify, I only run about a mile every day and I only go at the pace my body can handle.  I hope to work my way up to two miles but I definitely don’t run long distances and I am not fast.  And, I am very ok with that.  I think everyone is different.  We like different things and our bodies can handle different strains.  I also think that running every day isn’t for everyone.  One, it is really hard to find the time and two, you might not like/want to.  And I think that is great too.

And I am sure you guys are all dying to ask, now do I like running?  Well, I am about three months into my running challenge and I would say I like running more than I used to.  I don’t love it by any means but I definitely like it more. But one thing I will say, I have noticed a major improvement in my mood and health.  And this is something that is very important to me.

But, sometimes it is still really hard to get our there and run.  Especially as the weather gets colder.  I am trying to figure out how to stay motivated.  Any tips?  I did go out and buy some awesome running pants and those help a little!

I wanted to share all this because this has been another big part of my journey in moving to a new city.  Running has been a big step in my process of becoming more me.  And even in my year of art.  I believe all our experiences are different and I would love to hear your comments on exercise.  What kind of exercise do you like, if any?

Thank you for listening friends!  Now I am headed for a quick run, hopefully.

Photo source here