Runner Girl

Yesterday was another first for me. I did my first two run day.  I have been amazed that the longer I run the more things I discover about what I can do.  Yesterday I got up feeling a little better since i have been fighting this sinus infection for a week now and went for my regular morning run.  I came back sweatier than you should have to be in February at 5 AM, but that's another story, and hubby says let's do the group run at West Stride, our regular running store.  They were having a Red Brick Brewery Group run.  Three miles and then a souvenir cup with four beer pulls for $5.00 and free pizza. 

I told hubby "sounds good." I would see how I feel.  Of course in the back of my mind I am thinking "I have been sick for a week.  I hate running after work, and I just ran three miles."  A funny thing happened, all day I was thinking about going home and meeting hubby for the run.  It did not hurt that it was sunny and 58.   When I got home he was excited, "are we going?"  Now if you haven't figured it, out except for running and work, I am a real homebody.  I am not an out all night kind of girl.  To get up and run at 4:30 AM takes discipline and for me that starts with a rockin 9 PM bedtime.  But last night we went. We ran. We drank beer.  We ate pizza, and gasp, we got home at 8 PM.  I was thinking can I do this.  I have easily run this far, but I have never run in the morning and then started a second run at night.  Amazingly, when we started I felt just fine.  Maybe even a little better since I had already had a run. 

Before we left hubby was very clear 10:30 pace.  "You have already run and you have been sick."  Well we took off and ended up with a 9:30 pace.  I tried to console him with the fact I now think, except for recovery runs, that 9:30 is our comfortable pace.  I think he was fine with that.  The run was HILLY.  At around 1 3/4 mile point until 2 1/2 straight up a huge hill after already going up several smaller inclines.  It was a tough course but I felt good.  Then this morning still managed to make it out for my regular 4:30 AM run.  All of that lets me know I have gotten stronger.  I do feel like a runner.  Not because I ran my half, or because I ran twice in a day.  I feel like a runner because I love running. Because I think about it when I am not doing it, and I enjoy it when I am doing it.

Today I ordered a necklace that has a strong runner girl on it and a small medallion that say 13.1.  I am not the car sticker 13.1 girl.  I think it is fine for those who want it.  For me it was a personal thing I wanted to do.  I don't want the sticker on my car, but the strong runner girl  is really what I wanted.  I want to wear it, because for me it symbolizes achieving something I never thought I could.  I know when I look at it and I am facing a challenge it will remind me I am stronger than I think.  A reminder "that hill won't beat me either. "