Deer celebrate National Running Day too!

Happy National Running Day everyone! 

What a glorious day.  I woke up early and snuck out of the house before my kids got up.  I headed out the door with my shorts and tank top (extra awesome because the last time I ran before injury was 30 degrees and raining/snowing)...  The weather is PERFECT today.  Breezy, maybe 55 degrees, sunny.... so anyway... I start out on my super long (ha) 8-10 minute run (which was totally a ten minute run, thank you very much)... and guess what bounded RIGHT out in front of me?

OK, this totally isn't the actual deer... but this is what it looked like!

Bambi!  Seriously, she was about 6 feet in front of me and leapt almost all the way across the road in one stride... it was so beautiful and perfect it brought tears to my eyes. 

Running is such a beautiful and natural thing, and I never feel more connected with nature than I do when I'm cruising on a wooded trail.. no tunes.. just the sound of the wind in the trees and the birds singing.  Well, and sometimes my choking and gasping for air, if it's a tempo run.  :)

I swore I'd never take running for granted again after being on bedrest for the last few months of my pregnancy... and I don't think I did take it for granted, but I don't think my perspective on running changed much either during my long hiatus.

But after this most recent layoff, I look at running differently.  I feel so much joy now from the act of running... whereas pre-injury, most of my running-related euphoria came from PRs and negative splits and mile times.

Don't get me wrong.  I'm still going to get my sub 1:50:00 half, and my sub 23:00 5k, (c'mon, you didn't think I'd changed THAT much, did you?), but I'm not in so much of a hurry anymore.  Hopefully, I have another six decades or so of running ahead of me, so I figure I've got some time.  :)

Sorry to get all philosophical on you this early in the A.M.  Blame it on Bambi.

Hope you have a super day!!