The Perfect Running Partner

The perfect running partner would...


- come to your house in the early a.m.
- highly anticipate your workouts
- be closely matched with your speed
- be up for short or long distances, speedwork, or a bit of walking
- provide great conversation
- be happy to drive to the woods in order to avoid road running

Lucky for me, myy father-in-law fits all of these criteria.  :)

A Morning Run

On my "off" days, meaning the days I don't have some specific type of run I "need" to do, I am giving myself permission to move for no reason other than the way it feels (uh-huh, yeah, really revolutionary). I do love my regular runs, but there is still an element of expectation that always goes along with them: "Run harder, run more hills, don't stop too much, go longer, am I fast enough? blah, blah, blah, yak, yak, yak" says the voice in my head.

When we stayed at the cabin last week, we headed outside first thing in the morning for run/walks, relishing the cold air and the view. If we wanted to run a hill hard (i.e. race) we did. If we wanted to walk and talk, we did. It was exhilarating. Why not just get outside and walk or run, or skip and jump, take pictures, stop to pet the dog, or even just walk and think several mornings a week? Breathe hard. Look Around. BE with the outside that awakens my soul. So this morning, I ditched the exercise bike and the P90x DVDs, and got outside. Thank goodness too, because I didn't know the moon was INSANELY BIG AND BEAUTIFUL (see above). For 25-30 minutes, my partner (see below) and I, ran and walked all over this property underneath a full moon and rising sun.

The only "voice" I could hear this morning was one that told me to enjoy, be thankful, and enjoy some more. Breathe cold, clear air. Listen to awesome crunchy frozen grass sounds. I stopped to take pictures and love on my exercise partner and came home feeling a wonderful combination of contentment and joy.

I followed up with some push-ups and easy yoga. So yeah, I think I'll work this kind of exercise into the ol' routine.

New Year's Day 2012

Instead of making any resolutions today, I am trying to spend today the way I want to live everyday...

Reading to the kids.
Laughing with the kids.
Laughing more in general.
Playing with the kids.
Preparing healthy food for me and my family.
Loving my husband.
Going for a run. Outside.
Writing.
Thinking and Dreaming a bit about possibilities.
Speaking way more positively than negatively.
Making time to really listen.
Loving. Lots and lots and lots.
Savoring and relaxing.
Simplifying.

p.s. Bryan and Gary Don's injuries prevented us from following through with our tradition of running together on New Year's Day. However, Bryan ran for 25 minutes today and Pop went for a bike ride. We were together in spirit. :)

So You are Thinking of Backing Out, eh?

Get Going Down the Driveway Motivation

1. The best time to do this is now.

2. You think you want to crawl back into bed, but you really don’t.

3. You will say when you get back, “I’m so glad I did that.”

4. This is one very important way of treating your body as the precious temple it is.

5. There will be a peaceful sense of accomplishment with you the rest of the day.

6. You will be stronger for having done it—mentally and physically.

7. You will be a better person all day long.