8 days and counting!!

SO, first let me say that I almost got hit by a car while running today! It was scary. There were no side walks, so I was running close to the curb in the street, and this guy like basically turned into the wrong side of the street and almost hit me. I jumped into the grass. But yeah, I'm alive.

Beside my near death or injury experience (I think I'm a little of a drama queen) I actually had a fantastic run. Let me just say that todaaayyyy I ran 5 miles in 46:05. That's AMAZING for me. My first mile was a 10 minute warm up mile which means that somewhere in there I must've run like a 7 minute mile. I was a stud. It was amazing. After all the important stuff though, let me just say that during my run this morning I had like the most amazing experience. It's been a while since I've gotten up and gone running. Since school has let out I've been lazy and have been doing my runs in the evenings. But like today I totally remembered what I love about running.

1. I love that I get to be out in nature almost every day. This morning, I was running on the prairie path, which is a nature trail by my house that stretches like for miles and miles almost all the way into southern Illinois, and the birds were chirping, it was like the perfect temperature outside, the flowers were all in bloom and it was just completely amazing. There was a light breeze on my face. For a part of my run, I just closed my eyes and thanked God for the amazing blessings He's given me. I was almost in tears! Which brings me to my next point.

2. I love how raw my emotions are when I'm running. There's no trying to mask anything. If I'm angry, I'm obviously angry, and if I'm happy, I can't stop smiling. All of my energy is going into the run, so frustration and determination and the like all come out as purely as they're being felt. There are very few moments in my life where I experience emotion that's completely unmasked like that. While in every day settings, this can be a kind of scary thing, but while bouncing along on the Prairie Path, it's really not a terrible thing. It allows me to feel what I need to feel while not doing any damage along the way.

3. I love the like secret brotherhood and sisterhood that runners seem to share. I pass other runners all the time while running, mainly when I'm on the Prairie Path, and every time there's like this little acknowledgment of each other that goes on. Sometimes it's a smile, other times it's a nod. There are even times when it's a "Good morning! Have a great run!" I even kind of like it when it's simply a grunt. Any way you do it, it's always accompanied by a little hint of understanding, like "I hear you brother/sister!" Often times when I've been on a challenging run, and it's clear on my face, the brotherhood/sisterhood of runners comes through and helps me out. Someone will pass me, understand the look on my face, and offer up a word of encouragement. When I was doing my 7 miler for my half marathon training (which was hands down the most difficult run I've ever been on), I passed this guy who looked like he was about in his 40's, and he looked like a champ. Like the guy was a beast. His leg muscles were rippling and he had all the awesome running gear. I saw the expression of frustration on my face and recognized it right away. As he passed, he showed me this huge grin, and said "Keep going! You're doing awesome!". "Thanks..." I muttered, but it kept me going.

I discovered all those things this morning as I was flying down the path. It was one of those amazing runs where you remember exactly why you love the sport you do. When running isn't boring, but rather a beautiful experience. When it isn't forcing yourself to put one foot in front of the other and hoping you make it to the finish line...when it's just purely amazing...just you, God, and the pavement (or trail...or sidewalk...where you run!) I love it.

...8 days!!!