Wednesday, October 5, 2011

Blazing a new trail

About four months ago, Ralph and I moved into our first apartment together.
About two months ago, he deiced he wanted to run his first half marathon and asked me to train him. Of course I was elated.
However as he gets more into running, I have noticed my own running mo-jo hasn't been hanging around too much. There are plenty of days where I just don't feel like lacing up my sneakers, and plenty of days where Ralph has actually just left me home and gone running with out me. While it is awesome to know he is motivated enough to run on his own, it is depressing to think I am loosing my drive. Right now the only thing pushing me to run is my fear of getting fat before the wedding - NOT an option!
So I've started to think - and what I've come up with is I feel stuck where we live. It is not a super safe neighborhood to be running through, especially this time of year when it gets dark pretty fast. There are no sidewalks outside of our complex, or trails like Kelly Drive to run to. At my old apartment, in fact at both of our old apartments it was as easy as lace up your sneakers and go. There was no driving to someplace, or driving home. Now if we want to walk out the door and "just go" it means running around the apartment complex. And I'll be totally honest. IT SUCKS. It's small, and there are lots of turns. I feel like I am always turning. Or stuck on a hamster wheel. It is not inspiring, it's not pretty to look at it, it doesn't let me clear my mind. And Ralph is there with me and we are always talking. (and sometimes arguing)

I miss the freedom I used to have to just go out and clear my mind. To think about things, even wedding things, or work things, or relationship things and just think and run, run and think. I love that Ralph and I have something to bond over, I love that he finally understands my love for running and I am SO AMAZINGLY PROUD of him for what he has accomplished so far. I just miss the way it used to be. And I never thought in a million years that would happen.

Has your life ever changed in a way that affected your running? was it a good change? Did you ever find yourself getting back on track?

Although yesterday I had quite an amazing run. There is a trail by our apartment that is long and flat and amazing, it just doesn't go through the best neighborhoods, so we avoid it. But Ralph is away on business this week so I decided the hell with it. I put on my (brand new!!) sneakers, threw on my BRIGHT orange running jacket (seriously best purchase I could have ever made) and headed out the door. At first it was strange to be running alone and outside the complex. But then I hit this great groove and just went with it. I didn't want to turn around and go home (except for the fact that things were starting to look pretty sketch). I will even admit I maybe starting singing to myself out there - don't judge it's like the "talk test" except I had no one to talk to so I just start signing a little bit...

While running together has proved to be a great routine and a good time to spend together to talk - I think maybe we should try running apart one day a week, maybe two. Just see how it goes.

xx Sara

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