Running

Many moons ago, way before I had three kids, I started running.  It started as a way to get in shape and slowly ended up being a passion.  During my college years I ran a lot.  We're talking sometimes hours a day.  Whenever I found a 5k I could get myself to, (not always easy without a car) I'd participate.  I even snuck a marathon in there once.  Running was my way on unwinding.  There was nothing to me like the peace that came from being out in the fresh air with nothing in my head but the sound of breathing.  It was my time to meditate and pray.  Sure, it was hard sometimes, but I loved the challenge.  I used to run in Provo, UT on  a long path that followed the highway up to Sundance.  I'd look at a point in the horizon on the mountain side and challenge myselft to get there.  Like I said, sometimes it took hours and was perhaps a little crazy.  But, it felt awesome.

I continued running after I got married although without quite the same passion and ran through my pregnancy with Carter.  Then, while six months pregnant with Liam, my right arch started bothering me a lot.  I kept trying and it just got worse.  Turns out I had develped Plantar Fasciitis.  After I had Liam, I continued trying to run, and continued to injure myself.  Several times it was bad enough that I ended up on crutches.  Those pesky arches take a LONG time to heal and only do it through lots of rest.  Not something a stubborn, impatient soul like mine is good at.  Finally, I gave up.  I quit trying to run and just concluded that my running days were over. 

Two years later, a very out of shape me gets an email  from the San Antonio BYU Alumni Chapter.  They are hosting a 5k.  Two of my favorite things, BYU and running in one place and its near my home!  I couldn't resist.  Just one problem, I hadn't run in 2 years and the race was in 2 weeks.  But, I wanted to do it SOooooo bad.  So, I told myself that if I could get myself out of bed early every day that next week and run for 30 munutes, then I could register. 

Two weeks later, I was standing in the parking lot of a stake center basking in a BYU hora but telling myself that I was absolutely crazy.  Yet, I did it!  I ran that 5 k, got a great time, all things considered, and even came in 2nd place for the 19-30 year old women.  Of course there were less than 200 people participating and a ton of those were kids.  But still, I did it and it felt amazing!