This is why I like running!

Today is exactly why I like running.

Except for this!:

Cheap Socks: At Least They're Green

Don't worry, I finally bought real socks and threw these away. But back to my point...

I was grumpy and irritated this morning because some annoying things happened. They were out of my control, but they still made those little glands shoot chemical stress into my blood stream. But around 1:30 I went for a run. It was chilly but sunny, and I headed out for 4 miles in the park. 

There was a light breeze so fall leaves were scattering across the path. People were playing frisbee and fishing. Little kids were riding bikes and skating. I saw some kind of  Native tribal dance happening, and even the kids were in costume and participating, so cool! Other runners said hello. And as I ran, the stress of the day was pounded down through my quads and calves, out the balls of my feet into the ground.

Training for distance runs is hard, grueling, time-consuming and sometimes tedious. There are rewards, sure. But a 20-mile training run is not fun in any way. Being done with it is nice. Having accomplished something difficult is great. A marathon is thrilling, rewarding of course, and satisfying. But it hurts from head to toe, mentally and physically.

Sometimes, you have to set aside the training plan and the goals and timing and pace and just...have fun. And that's what I did today.