That Makes Me Happy

Today, I did not run. I planned on running but my daily grind got into the way and the day was gone before I realized. Yesterday, I ran. It was a nice day- about 45 degrees. I think that spring could be coming. This makes me very happy. I love to run in the spring months. It seems that the weather is perfect. I am hoping to kick up my running to at least 5 days a week. I think that would help to make me stronger. Of course the 4 1/2 hours of manual labor helped- I am sure.

I did have a lot of time to think about my running. "Why am I running?" is the question that reverberates in my head. "Am I trying to lose weight?"

The answers to both of these questions are longer and require more time and space to formulate. I do know this, I enjoy running. I find value in running. So I run.

I am not a fast runner. It feels a lot faster while I am doing it but it is by no means a sprint. It doesn't help that my legs are very short and my height is stunted. Yet, I am okay with my body. It serves me well. It is not sick. It rarely gives out on me. I would be doing it a great disservice by call it fat or ugly. I have found that it is neither. Does it have pluses and minuses? Sure. Doesn't everyone? Yet, I ask great things from it, stress it too much and feed it improperly at times. So I push it. I make it work. I make it run.

It fights back. Sometimes my hips hurt badly when I am done but that doesn't last. I can usually walk it off. I trust that my body will tell me when I can't walk it off and I will listen. I have no choice but to listen. If not, I will hobble on my screwed together ankle. Then I will will take the time to listen.

As I said earlier, the weather is turning. The birds are returning to the area. The green is coming back. The heart of spring for me is the early afternoon run with the smell of freshness in the air- that makes me happy.

~Camo Pants