The First Step is the Hardest

The first step is the hardest. I've heard that said before, but I have never fully realized how true it is until today. This week has been hard to motivate myself to go run. On Saturday, I missed the group training session because A was completely inconsolable all day (seriously, ALL day). So, I ran on Sunday instead. On Wednesday, mother nature decided to kick me hard in the uterus. By the evening, I could barely move I was in so much pain. That continued on Thursday so when it was time to get up for my run, I turned my alarm off and went back to sleep. All day Thursday, I felt icky and like I was "cheating." So, last night I decided I would make up for it today. I would get up and go for my run in the morning, and then do my yoga in the afternoon. When I went to bed much too late, I was still determined. My alarm went off at 5:45 am and I just wanted to go back to sleep. But, my alarm was across the room so up I got to turn it off and just continued on out the room.

Getting ready was hard. Excuses as to why I should go back to bed kept floating around in my head. "You were up late." "You're still in pain." "It's cold out." "It's okay to skip a run." But, I pushed them aside, pulled on my shoes and all my layers, picked up the dog leash and headed out. Until I closed the door, the excuses tried to invade my head. It would have been so easy to listen to them and just head back to bed to snuggle with A for another couple of hours. But, I didn't. I closed the door, headed down the stairs, and went for my run. And I felt amazing. Last time when I ran an eight minute stretch, I felt my lungs exploding near the end. Today? When I hit the eight minute mark and the Couch to 5k voice told me to "begin walking," I felt like I could run for another five minutes! I couldn't get the smile off of my face for the rest of my run. I'm sure I looked like a lunatic running so early with such a giant smile on my face! Little by little, I am getting stronger. Little by little, I am doing this!

There are NO excuses. Not the cold, not my asthma, not being "too tired" or "too busy." I am running because I can. I am running because others can't. They don't get to make excuses and skip out of their diseases. They face them every day. They push through their pain with such strength that seems impossible for any human to have. And I will run for them. Want to help? Please consider sponsoring me and helping my team reach our goal of $40,000!