My favorite part of running....

I recently read an article about a beginning runner who, after fifteen months of running, had a break-through. Suddenly he was running and it didn't even FEEL like he was running....gone was the shortness of breath, the pain in the calves, the being-chased-by-a-bear heavy breathing....he had found a rhythm....and actually, finally, enjoyed running.

Even though I've been forced to run for over five years now, I still consider myself a beginner. I very rarely find myself enjoying my runs. I try desperately to think of other things besides the sweat in my eyes, the people at the beer garden on a Friday night who are laughing at the loser running by, the shoe that's not tied quite tight enough for my liking but if I stop to fix it I will walk the whole rest of the way so I can't, the Rolaids I would've paid one hundred dollars for if someone had offered them from a street corner as I passed....you get the idea.

So tonight I found myself in a position of absolutely, positively needing to run. I'll spare you the gory details, but it involved watermelon and gummy bears.....lots of it. My intentions with the watermelon were good- I read a recipe for a watermelon feta salad....but somehow the feta and salad part got tossed aside in the heat of the moment and were replaced by....gummy bears. 2-3 hours later, when I finally managed to get myself in a standing position with shoes on, I decided to ponder on what my favorite part of running might be.

I jogged down the street, happy to have something to think (and later blog?) about.

My iPod blared out "Open Arms" by Journey. Next. "Baby Blue" by George Strait. Next. "If You're Reading This by Tim McGraw. NEXT. Sunday Morning Coming Down, by Johnny Cash. What the.... That'll teach my to head out without a playlist. While I will not run without it, music is not my favorite part about running.

I came to a downhill slope....and for a brief second I almost smiled....DOWNHILL! This could be a favorite! Only then my knee started to hurt and I started to run bowlegged. Scratch that idea.

I've heard women talk about how cute clothes motivate them to go to the gym. So I tested that theory for a few steps in front of a storefront window. I tell you what, running can make the cutest clothes look awful. Something is always riding up, or lifting up, or rubbing wrong... Nope, clothes are not my favorite part of running. In fact, if one little thing feels remotely off I will immediately stop running and walk all the way home. Yeah, I am that dedicated.

What else is there? There's sweating.. Sunburn. Spit (or is that just me?). Sore legs. Side stitches. Shakes, rattles, and rolls. Talking myself through it. Out loud. Breathing. Not breathing and wondering if I'm doing my body more harm than good with this whole running thing.

I kept thinking about what I might like about running all the way home (trust me, I had plenty of time). When I finally got there, I found it:


My favorite part of running: Lying down in front of the fan and knowing I did it. I'm done. At least until tomorrow.