Finally back on track...

I know it has been forever since I posted, but I really just didn't feel like talking.  My last post was on Christmas, detailing a really wonderful run I had had that afternoon- well, let me tell you, that was the last good run I had for weeks.  Tired, discouraged, and nervous about the race being so close, I just didn't have the motivation to get on here and write something.  I just literally had nothing to say.

However, I am happy to announce that my luck has turned... I returned to LA on Sunday (after a mediocre 8-miler), and I have had two stellar runs since then.  Tuesday was cut a little short because of a crowded gym and a 30-minutes-when-others-are-waiting time limit, but I just ran as far and as fast as I could for those thirty minutes, and I felt great.  I had another great one this morning- 4.5 miles, no stops, and at a pretty zippy pace.... very exciting!

It's really incredible to me how much a good run can affect my mood- not just because of the after-exercise endorphins, but also because of how I feel about myself.  In earlier stages of my life, I often wanted to run but couldn't.... it would hurt, or I'd get tired and stop.  I wondered what it would be like to run for miles and never get tired, to be one of those girls who just run and run and run... They seemed so strong and powerful and just totally unstoppable.  Today, as I was breezing through my 4.5-miler, the girl on the treadmill next to me was having a little trouble; she was much slower than me, and she stopped every quarter mile or so to catch her breath.  When she finally ended her workout, she looked over at me and made a face as if to say "How are you still going?"  I knew exactly what she was thinking, because I had had the same thought many times before.  And in that moment, I just glowed.  I was strong, I was powerful, and I could run forever.