I Believe I Can Fly

Hey Preps!

Yesterday morning started with an alarm clock sounding off at 4:30AM.  Does it surprise you that waking up that early every day is my choice? Don't answer that.  Sometimes it doesn't feel like my choice.  I drag myself out of my bed kicking and screaming, all while trying to dig the yuckies out of my eyes.

"Why am I doing this?  Why am I up so early?"

Sure, there are days where I just want to go back to sleep, but I don't.  I force myself out the door, and into the pool or out into the wild for a crazy morning run.  Yesterday consisted of jumping into a freezing cold pool at 5:30AM.  I got used to doing so my freshman year of college, given I was a D1 swimmer.  I hated it then.  It was a job, but hilarious as it sounds, now that it isn't a job, I love it.  There is nothing better than a hard swim workout...  

Especially if your swim workout involves women who you look up to in so many ways.  The gym that I train at has hosted a great deal of triathletes and successful marathoners.  Many are quite successful in major events such as Ironmans and the Boston Marathon.  These women have careers, families, and are so busy, yet they are waking up at ungodly hours, getting on that bike...and hitting that pool.  Why?  

They love it.  They love the intensity.  They love working towards and achieving a goal that was gleamed impossible...and you know what? I do too.  

Admiration doesn't even describe the upmost respect I have for the women I train with.  I hope that my whole life I will be just as dedicated and committed to my fitness, while maintaing success in the real world like they are. 

I have said this before, but in order to live a balanced life, I need my workouts.  I need those swims that seem challenging at first but result in such a refreshing burst of energy and accomplishment...and more than that...I need my runs.  

Training for a marathon can be just as much a psychological struggle as it is a physical struggle.  I always tell myself the first two miles of a distance run are the hardest, and they truly are for me.  Yet once I reach that two mile mark, my pain and forced running is gone...replaced with pure joy and ambition that carries my legs up hills across fields, and anywhere my heart desires.  

One of my favorite runs starts with a huge uphill battle.  I hate it at first.  My legs burn, and my heart rate increases at an exponential pace...yet overcoming that first hill allows me to have the motivation to conquer the next 10 that follow.  Hill after hill I stride.  Farm land, mountains, and unreal fields decorate my runs, and I am constantly reminded how blessed I am.  

Yesterday after my swim, I decided to go on a distance run.  Sopping wet hair in a matted bun, hat to cover the mess, running leggings, reflective jacket, and my worn down shoes...off I went.  I reached the very top of the last hill of my run and stopped for a second to take the picture shown above.  I was just overcome with the beauty...the beauty of the world synchronizing to the pounding of my tired feet.  The rhythm took me away.  I felt as if I could go on forever.  

I started descending the hill, and couldn't help but spread my arms out as if I were flying.  That's exactly what I felt like I was doing.  My feet, hardly touching the ground, chest open, arms out, and I couldn't hold back my smile.  I was truly happy, and it's moments in my life like that, which I never want to forget.

As I was finishing the last leg of my run, I decided to avoid my normal route because the last street involved happens to be where my "I turn red every time I see you" gent that I am dating lives.  I was proud of myself for creating a detour, but as I ran a road parallel to it, and started to turn back to the gym, who did I bump into other than this dreamy guy in a light blue tie and beautiful navy suit...headed to the office.  

"Oh hey, don't mind me, I am just a sopping wet, sweaty, smelly mess...Great seeing you at this time in the morning, when you look simply sexy and smell delicious, and I am completely out of breath and smell like chlorine and body odor."

Yep.  I guess you can't always stay on the runner's high...sometimes you have to fall back down into reality...or bump into a guy who you adore and it completely flusters your focus.  What am I? A middle schooler again?  That's what it feels like.  

I like when things happen that way.  I love running, and I am glad life doesn't always work out the way I planned...because more often than not, it works out better than I could have ever imagined...like bumping into just the right person at just the wrong time.  Sometimes I think my life is a sitcom.  God definitely has a sense of humor. I like it.

Have a great weekend y'all!