I decided to make running into a daily habit and I just finished my first week.
It was a goal of mine to run regularly over the summer. I bought new running shoes and ended up running no more than 5 times over the summer. My shoes sat around most of the time, waiting to be used.
Autumn has come, I got a part-time job, and immediately felt routine set in on the first day of work. In addition to the development of The UP Lab and keeping in touch with friends, my days became a little bit busier and my thoughts got a bit more jumbled up.
Running was the solution that made the most sense to me. I enjoy the act of running, the solitude, the way that my mind also runs but doesn’t get tired. So I ran.
I didn’t want to report on this lifestyle change until the end of first week because it would’ve felt premature. I don’t believe that everything needs to be broadcasted the moment it happens. Some decisions need time to marinate. I haven’t been on a running schedule since high school and I can’t say that I’ve been running as often as I’d like to. It didn’t make sense to jump the boat and make it seem like I had made a lifestyle change when, in reality, I had only just begun. It was honestly a little scary to be making such a change to my daily life.
Why the decision to run? To maintain my sanity. As recent college graduate, I’ve gone through the typical period of depression/soul searching/reflection over the last 5 months–and it’s not over yet. I’m quite sure that this feeling of going into the unknown is going to be permanent for me and I welcome it.
It’s nice to unwind and have time to myself. My mind tends to constantly jump from one thing to another throughout the day. I end up thinking about errands to run, articles to write, then I’ll hear a song lyric that I really like and make a story out of it, then I’ll remember that it’s 9:15am and I’m stuck in traffic.
Running gives me time to organize my thoughts and keep me sane. The physical health benefit is a huge bonus, though.
I’ll be signing up for the Huntington Beach Surf City half-marathon scheduled in February. The stakes will definitely be up.
In November, I will begin the 12-week Half-Marathon Training Program: Novice 2 by Hal Higdon.
