Runner

In response to a blog of a friend's that I just read and in celebration of the first ten miles I ran since my injury that I ran last week, and my first 11 miler that I completed today, I would just like to say a few things about what I learned with my injury:

1. I learned that you can't keep me down. Unless it's really really bad, and then I still fight it and everyone yells at me.

2. I learned how to listen to my body.

3. I learned when to keep pushing and when to take a step back.

4. I learned what pain is just "whiny" pain and what pain is "okay, we need to stop right now" pain.

5. I learned to appreciate my body and everything it does from me.

I learned this the day that I sat at the back door in so much agony that I couldn't stand or walk, screaming at my four month old puppy because he stubbornly wanted to go out the front door to go potty and would not come to the scary crying lady so he could go out the back door to go potty.

It sometimes takes not being able to walk to appreciate every day that you're able to.

6. I learned to appreciate pain. Not in a scary, emo way, but in a "this was so much worse a year ago" way. Pain is simply my body letting me know, "Hey, yeah, so you over did things..."

7. I learned that I love running. I bitch and bitch and bitch about "having to go" but those months that I couldn't go? I craved it.

Today, I got to run with my puppy. He was such a good boy. He was off leash for the whole 11 miles, and didn't misbehave once. Well, maybe once. But there was a squirrel that literally jumped out of a bush in front of him...hard to blame him there.

8. I learned that I love my body. I love the muscles in it and the way my joints ache at the end of a big run. I love that it gets me from point A to point B with a minimum of fuss.

I love that today, my body let me go 11 miles.

Ciao,
kc