change

At the end of October of last year (2011) I had run 12 races in 9 months and I was pooped. I decided to take some time off and not worry about "the next run". Well, that time off turned into 2 months. TWO MONTHS! And just as running had become part of my routine, not running also became a part of it. So in January I decided to get back into it. Things are so easy to commit to when you're not actually doing them (i.e. I am going to floss everyday. I am going to be a vegetarian. Oooh. I will meditate EVERY morning with the sunrise). Did you know that it takes two weeks of doing something regularly to make it a habit? Ugh. And getting back into the habit of running has not been easy. Let's get all the negatives out of the way first- my running buddy, Courtney, moved. Not across town, but two states over. Seriously, who is going to simultaneously yell/encourage me? This whole motivating myself business can wear you down, just as much as the physical. Because I now run by myself I run in the early evenings, not the morning. According to Runner's World, it takes two weeks to acclimate to changing your regular running time (morning/afternoon/evening). I often feel like I'm competing with the cars and they always win. Plus, there are those weirdos who like to yell at me as I'm running in the bike lane, or worse, attempt to high-five me. And another thing, I think I hate my shoes. I know it takes awhile to break in shoes (sorry, couldn't find a stat), but I'm not sure if these are going to be my slightly muddy glass slippers. We'll see.
Now, on to the positive. Courtney and I decided to get on the same running plan and text/call/email in the results of our run. It's not to be competitive, but to have accountability to someone. So even though she's a two hour plane ride away, it helps to know that she's sweetly cursing at the same sky on long-run days. And while running during rush hour isn't my ideal, it has also given me structure to my day. I HAVE to do those errands right after school and it stops me from watching hours of lame tv. As for my running shoes, I've discovered that my foot only hurts when I'm running on an uneven surface, and they're pretty badass for trail running. Clearly, all of this points to the fact that I am resistant to change. I hate change. Scratch that. I hate change that is imposed on me. If you force change upon me, I become a petulant teenager. But given the choice and the chance I often want to do something radically different, if only for a little change.