Running

Throughout my adulthood, I get into a pattern of running regularly for a few months and then i take a break for 6 months and start from square one again. After we moved to Sugar House, I ran semi-regularly. Two miles up the road, we have a park with a tree-bark running path (how awesome is that?) that stretches in a 1.4 mile circle. It's easy on the joints, and completely road-traffic free. Liberty Park is absolutely beautiful with towering cottonwoods that Brigham Young, leader of the original Mormon pioneers, planted himself. I really love running there. 

Once the cold weather blew in and I started working at Tracy Aviary, I really wasn't in the mood to spend time at the park running in circles any more. Plus, skiing season had begun.

It just so happens that upon 8 acres of this beautiful park resides Tracy Aviary. It dawned on me last week that if I brought my running apparel and shoes to work, that it would be very difficult to make excuses not to run after my work day, especially now that the sun sets 45 minutes later these days.

So last week I started bringing my running clothes to work. And I LOVE it! I love going for a run at the end of the day. The first few days I could hardly get around the full 1.4 miles, but yesterday I took Duvick to the park and he and I managed to get in a little over 3 miles.

I love the feeling of getting into a long comfortable stride. I love to keep track of my splits and heart rate and push myself to go faster and faster. I think I could really get into running if I could just stick with it for awhile. I hate even writing this - it shows what kind of discipline I lack that I have never been a very competent runner out of high school.

But I used to run far and fast and I used to love it. In high school I used to compete and do pretty well for my high school's cross country and track teams. I loved running so much. I liked the feeling of pushing my body beyond its limits. I loved the stress-release; whenever I'd get in a fight with one of my family members, I would lace up my shoes and leave the house for a hour, returning with an improved state-of-mind. I loved being in the elements, outside. There are several great reasons to love running. Right now, it would seriously help my endurance and strength when it comes to backcountry skiing.

So it's only been a few days and this week, we are expecting an arctic blast to come through town, giving us days between 5-25 degrees F. But I'm going to try to be out there in the frigid cold, pushing myself to go a little farther.