Smiling While Running

I just ran a mile in 11 minutes and 14 seconds. 

Don’t laugh.  I’m incredibly proud.

I haven’t run in about ten years.  Once in high school, I was able to run a mile in less than eight minutes.

Once.

Last week, I decided I’d had enough of my cold weather excuses for avoiding exercise, and got a pass to a gym.  I’ve been waking up early every day.  I’ve actually been excited about it.  Sometimes I even wake up before my alarm.

This is not my first rodeo with the gym.  I’ve tried this many times.  But I have never been excited before. 

And here is the difference.

This time, I took the pressure off.  I’m not going for any weight loss/inches lost goal.  I’m simply trying to be strong and healthy.

In the past, running has been such a chore.  I would try to motivate myself during a run by thinking about losing weight.  Instead of encouraging me, that made me feel like a fattie.  Thinking about losing weight reminded me that I had more pounds than I wanted.  That made me feel bad about myself and so I stopped trying.

Today, as I increased my speed on the treadmill, I thought about how strong I felt.  How good I felt that I was able to do what I was doing.  And that thought made the running slightly easier.  Slightly.

And I smiled.

SMILED.

I must be crazy.