I'm...running...for...Randy...

A lot of things came together for me today, in that I've been finding it harder and harder to make time to run because I'm so busy, but on my run today I realized just how much I love it. I had to drag myself out the door; I kept making excuses for why I didn't need to run, namely that I work too hard during the day to have to run. Once I got out the door, I started thinking that it was tolerable, and then remembered a strategy that the teacher I work with told me. She read an article that said to help make long runs more tolerable you can think of a phrase repeatedly and tap it out with your fingers while you're running. A few minutes into my run I started thinking about why I started running, and it was to run with a friend of my brother's after my brother died. I made my phrase "I'm running for Randy" and got it into my head, and just ran. And it was amazing.

I took a new route, and after a bit I looked at my watch...23 minutes, and I wasn't even a bit tired! I ran for a bit more, and then decided I needed to quit because it was getting dark and I don't live in the best of neighborhoods. I ran for 26 minutes total, and then walked for 4 to let my legs loosen up. I've never been so happy about what I accomplished.

I love that my motivation all comes from my brother, whether directly or indirectly. My initial running started so that I would be able to do a one mile memorial run with his friend. I called her after my first few runs, and she was so incredibly supportive, and told me to start this whole blog. Now she's doing a marathon for the Leukemia and Lymphoma society, and blogs about it. The blog is so motivational for me that it's the reason I went running at 9:00pm on Tuesday and that I went for my run today. Sometimes you just need that example.

I started running as a stress reliever because things were going so wrong...and now I'm running because everything is just going so right.

Just keep running...

Exercise: Running/Walking
Distance: about 2.5 miles
Time: 7:00 pm, 30 mins and 41 seconds
Temperature: 63 degrees (fall is here! :) )
Humidity: 50%
Visibility: 10 miles
Wind: from the SE at 8mph
Pressure: 29.97 and falling