“Every day may not be good. But there is something good in every day.”
Last night gave me one of those moments. You know, the ones where something happens, something very small or simple, but it takes away all the crap and negativity that was built up in the hours before it.
I got home around 6 after a rough, frustrating day. Topping it off, it had been insanely windy all day so I had wrote off the option of an outdoor run to unwind and burn off some stress. Strangely tho, the wind had died down to the point it didn’t feel so bad by the time I got home. That, plus the energy-filled, excited fur ones waiting for me at home, I decided there was no way I was going to the gym for a treadmill run. I dressed and got organized for a typical “two dogs, two jogs” evening (Burton and Blitz are both very strong, fast dogs and have different levels of endurance, so I take them for separate runs).
Nothing better than an evening run with this lil dude.
Burton and I were about halfway into our 10k run, which was going really well despite some still-strong wind gusts. As we turned a corner to head west down a rare tree-lined running path near our neighborhood, I had the moment. The sun was huge, shining so intensely on us in the clear evening sky, I had to squint. It lit up the grass and the tress, making their colors almost surreal-looking. The wind seemed to pause and all I could hear was the light sounds of my breathing. At that moment, I realized this was the best part of the day. Just me and my favorite running pal doing what we both love to do. My head felt clear, my body relaxed, yet my legs felt so light that I was cruising at a sub-7 minute/mile pace. All the bullshit and frustrations of the day seemed to disappear, and I felt calm and happy.
I often tell people running saved my life. And it did, for several reasons. Today was a reminder how it still does that and how important it is to, not just my physical health, my mental well-being too.
Don’t worry, things weren’t all pie-in-the-sky, wonderfully perfect. About a mile later, Burton got distracted by another dog (seriously, every.single.dog.he.sees – it’s maddening!) and nearly tripped and tangled me in the leash. This caused a nifty chain reaction of me stumbling and doing some less-than-graceful moves on one of the busiest streets by our neighborhood. So, that was awesome too.
When was the last time you had one of those moments? Post a comment or tweet me @runlikeagirl311 on Twitter.