December 1, 2009

Worth it

Let's face it. New England weather is pretty terrible. November hits with snow, which lasts until at least March. And then comes the torrential rain and of course all of the mud. Finally in June, when the rain stops falling, it's too hot to run outside during the day. By the time it starts to cool down, we have to start preparing for snow again. It's almost like living in New England is an excuse to put your feet up, sans running shoes. Why would anyone in their right mind actually go outside and run if they live in the North East? Runner's have to be crazy. Which is the entire point. Runners are crazy! You see them jogging at 6:30 in the morning, 6:30 at night and everywhere in between. I'm sure you find yourself saying, "Those people are insane!" Yes, true. They are. We are. I know. I'm one of those insane people you see running around the streets of Boston at 6:30 in the morning while most people get to delight in sipping coffee. Or, if they're truly lucky, they're still sleeping. The point is, running in general is crazy. But the natural high it gives you for the entire day makes it worth it. The way you feel about yourself for the rest of your life makes it worth it. I know what it's like to choose between sleep and going outside in 30 degree weather for a run. I know which one I'd like to choose every time (sleep). But the point is, I don't. I choose running. And when I come home from that super early morning jog and jump into the shower, it's worth it.
Posted by at

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)

Welcome to Head Over Heels!

Like many 20-something women, I woke up one morning exasperated. It seemed like every day I would find a new passion, a new dream, and get excited about yet another project, just to find that they would all crash and burn. I wanted something that I could control and that would be all mine.

Because our 20s are a time of exploration and discovery, it's very hard to find that path that directs us exactly to our dreams, especially because our dreams have the habit of evolving overnight. I had worn myself into a tizzy of exhaustion, disappointment, and an overwhelming sense of having no control over my own life. And that's when I went for that first run.

Two minutes later, I arrived back at my apartment steps, panting. As long and as torturous as those two minutes felt, they also gave me a sense of liberation, a feeling that had been severely lacking in my life. The next day, pathetically still sore, I again put on my sneakers. Three minutes, yes! This routine was repeated daily throughout the summer and now, I'm a half-marathoner! My ultimate goal, a marathon, still looms in the distant future, but the even bigger goal is one I can actively work on every day: learning to gain control over my own life and learning to fall in love with myself one step at a time.