Today is 6 days without a run.   Is it crazy that I can tell you this?   Maybe.   I have friends who think I’m crazy with all the running that I do.   Now, by no means, am I saying that I’m not crazy; BUT not about my running.   The rest we won’t get into that today.    These are the friends who don’t understand why I am constantly running around town, getting up at the crack to do events, and just “giving up”  so much time.   I honestly don’t get it sometimes too.

When I started running it was simple so that I would be able to finish the run in my Sprint Triathlon.  I remember bitching about how much I hated running.   I remember not being able to complete a mile and I when I did I remember how slow I ran it.  Now don’t take offense as I am not dissing anyone’s who runs time.   I am just saying that I am faster now than when I started.  I am by no means fast as to compared to some of my friends who are Speedy Gonzalez, I look like a turtle.  A mile is a mile no matter the pace.    I am just trying to say that over the course of my training for various events, something happened.

I have not only developed a love for running (OMG WTH), but I have developed a NEED for running.  It has become one of my sanity busters along with cake decorating.   Yes, I know opposite spectrum, but the balance each other out don’t you think.   As with running, I need to concentrate solely on the task before me and it clears the mind.   You can’t always decorate a cake, but it is usually easy to squeeze in a run.   Except this week.

I purposely took  Monday and Tuesday off to recover from my Hat Trick.  No, I wasn’t really that sore.   I did have some soreness in my right calf and I didn’t want to push it.   I’ve done that before and it’s never good.   So I did want to take a few days off, but now I am at six days and it’s too much.   I kept thinking that I would be able to squeeze a run in during the week, but that never happened.   Dear Hubby went back to work on Wednesday and there has just been too much stuff to do that either didn’t get done last week, needed to be done before today, or just the normal stuff that has to get done in life.   But today is day six and I can’t take it.

Today is also going to be a rough day.   Today is the day we say goodbye to truly one of the good guys,   My Father-in-law.   A man who worked his whole life with the simple focus of taking care of his family.   He raised 9 children (5 natural, 4 adopted) and that doesn’t even begin to touch the scope of who is was.   It will be a day of tears.    A day of remembering and a day to say goodbye.

This is why, for me, I do need my run.   As you know, running is my time alone.   My time to let off stress.   My time to just let things tumble through my mind at will as my feet hit the pavement.    No running isn’t therapy, but running can really help to release stress, tire you out, and sometimes you have runner’s tears when the wind hits your eyes even if you have sunglasses on.    I know though that today though that there once again may not be time to run and I will be ok with that as tomorrow I will get up before my house and go for a long run.   Not because I’m in training, but because both my body and soul need it.

How does running help you?