Birthday Run

Stormy weather broke this morning with a burst of gusty winds, patchy clouds and plenty of sun and blue skies. It was up and out this AM, eager to see what my 54 year old body would do. Heading north towards Griffin, it was stiff going for the first mile or so, but by the time I took my Publix break I was pretty well relaxed. I had my tunes, the right gear, and yesterday's treadmill run gave me more endurance for today.

The big drama of everything at work, or with the family just seemed to fade into a distant chorus of raucous voices I no longer heard very clearly...or wanted to...as the rhythm of the run began to overtake me into the zone of peace, while the winds of spring swirled and whirled around me....

On the big Griffin loop I surprised myself with a few fast (for me) stretches; coming down on 40th to Stirling and again in Emerald Hills while I wound things down. My legs don't always want to turn over very fast, since my right leg and hip hobble my range of motion to a point. But something in the energy of the morning brought out the speed, in little micro-bursts like the winds, and it felt wonderful to cruise along, and pretend to be a bad-ass runner preparing for Boston, New York, for DC, for Miami...

I'm glad I ramped things down. Maybe this is part of middle aging...expectations begin to balance between the dream of ultimate fantasy (I still want to do an ultra..)
and what the body can and will handle reasonably. And though my nature is usually not to settle for the mild side of balance, I can see how using my runs to fine-tune the general systems of emotional, spiritual and physical well-being is the key- not how many miles or races I rack up. There is no competition, unless you count the clock of time. I am simply so grateful that at this age and station of life I could pound out my 7 miles today with relative ease, a few walk breaks, and plenty of spunk and umph in my step and spirit to embrace the day.

Running saved my life, and continues to inspire my discipline, my inspiration, my inner vision of what I can be. Happy birthday to me!