I don’t know why I took up running during the pandemic rather than birthing and raising a sourdough starter like many others.  I have never been a runner.  I did gymnastics and swam in high school; in college and through graduate school I was into cycling.  Once I had kids, I did nothing that resembled any kind of intentional physical activity.  When I decided it was time to do something about that (last year when those kids were 28 and 31) swimming was definitely out because it required wearing a swimsuit in public.  After all those years of no physical activity, a swimsuit in public was definitely out of the question.  Even one in private was an iffy proposition.  And cycling…well, there are some crazy drivers here in Dallas.  I don’t even like being on the road with them in a good sized car; sharing the road while on a bicycle is downright terrifying!  So running won.  It’s cheap.  I began in the fall so I didn’t have to wear shorts, and I could run on paths or the treadmill where no cars are allowed.

One of my running goals was to complete a 5K run on the 28th of each month throughout the year.  Another was to finish a 10K.  At the time I added both of these things to the list, I could not run for more than 25 minutes….and I wasn’t running 8 minute miles, so running one, let alone twelve, 5K’s was a push.  And 10K?  I don’t even know why I put that on the list.  There was no way I could run 6+ miles…EVER!

I ran the first 5K on my 59th birthday last December…and I succeeded at meeting my goal of a 5K on the 28th of each month throughout the year, running #12 last Sunday.  My times varied by six minutes or so throughout the year.  The slowest was in July when I ran masked on a treadmill while in Reno on a craft getaway.  I don’t mind wearing a mask in most situations, but while running on a treadmill in a hot humid gym, it was hell!  My time last week was about the same as last spring.  BUT, I have slowed my pace down a little in the last month or so to get ready to run that 10K that seemed impossible this time last year.

When I began running, I remember seeing a meme that said something to the effect of, “what seems impossible today will one day be your warm-up.”  Yeah, whatever.  Guess what.  It’s true.  5K is the shortest run I’ve done over the last five weeks and I’ve run 3-4 days a week.  I began to believe that I actually could run a 10K.

Today was the day to try, the day to run, virtually, the Memphis Marathon 10K for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

My only hope for today’s run was to finish it.  I’m not going to lie.  The mile from 4.5-5.5 was rough.  Most of the time I enjoy the solitude of solo runs, but today I wished I was running this race in person where there would have been other runners and energy around to help me push through this rough mile.  Since I was running virtually, it truly became a case of mind over matter.  I was listening to the music of Two Steps from Hell throughout the run.  Don’t judge them by their name! Two Steps from Hell is an LA based production company that does movie music.  They produced tracks for the Harry Potter movies and Pirates of the Caribbean, to name a few.  If you can’t immerse yourself in the energy of thousands of other runners, the energy of this music may be the next best thing!

I ran today primarily to raise money and awareness for St. Jude.  But, I also ran for me.  Running has made not only my body, but a also my mind and my spirit stronger.

And who doesn’t need a strong spirit these days?!