It took giving birth to my third child for me to start running again. After my daughter's birth I discovered how much my body craves movement, solitude, challenge and beauty. So I began walking and the walking turned into running. Now I run a couple of days a week on the West side of Tucson in the desert. I get to experience beautiful sunrises and sunsets and always the silhouette of the Tucson mountains. I have encountered a whole herd of javelina in the early morning hours, heard the howls of the coyotes in the early evening and watched as snakes slithered across the sand to get to the warm pavement at sunset.
I'm not a serious runner, but I am serious about my parenting so I run. I register for races to give me the external motivation to run. I register for the 1/2 marathons to keep me running consistently and focused. I also like to run and when I return from a workout, I am greeted by my cheering children and their happy faces. The time in the desert settles me, gives me time for reflection and helps me to sort out the different challenges in my life.
I head out tomorrow for a five mile jaunt which will set the tone for a very busy day of appointments--school, doctor, voting and play date. Couldn't think of a better way to attack the day.
No comments:
Post a Comment