Running, Day 1

I did it! My neighbor met me at 6:30 AM this morning, both of us trying to beat the heat and get through with the run before the kids woke up. She made me stretch for a long time and I had muscles that obviously hadn't been used in quite some time asking me what the heck I was doing using them again. Then we power walked/jogged/and in the end sprinted before the cool down and the stretch again. I ended up being outside for a good hour, but only about half of that time was I cardio-ing. Right now I'm still feeling that sensation of peacefulness, but I can already feel a few muscles talking to me. I sure hope I'll be able to get up and do it again tomorrow. While I didn't "love" it, I didn't mind it all that much either. See, she taught me to breathe and to focus on my breathing, much like labor. I figured, "hey, I've been in hard labor for longer than a half hour, I can do this." And I did. It helps that I actually had some really good labor experiences in the past and that I birthed naturally. That experience (besides making me a mother) taught me that I can handle much more than I ever thought was possible. I guess running is the same way. It's like an empowering thing. I can ask, "How much more can I do?" And then I can surprise myself by actually accomplishing it. So I focused on short goals and on my breath. I tried to slow my breathing when it was getting harder (reminding myself of those amazing Buddhist monks who meditate so deeply that they actually slow their heart rate . . . if only my prayers were so intense!) When the mailbox one house away seemed too large a goal, I focused on the branch two steps ahead of me. And it sure did help to have a friend along with me. She was quite encouraging, but wouldn't let me quit either. So I'll be up at 6:30 AM tomorrow too. (she's giving me Sunday off as they are going house hunting -- I'm not looking forward to her moving!) Feeling good. K.T.