Anyone who knows me, knows I love a good run. And really, a bad run works too, because even if the run is bad, those endorphins still kick in and I feel better after I'm done! Waking up at 5:00 to get my run in certainly has its drawbacks, but it's so worth it to me! Carving out that alone time is good for me. The run wakes me up and gives me the opportunity to zone out, to pray, to think about the day ahead and what needs to get done.
I've spent runs thinking back through the stories of each of my pregnancies and deliveries, through my relationship with Luke, talks with friends, memories from childhood. I love the various running partners I've had throughout my time as a runner! I would meet my friend Ellen after work at a local running store to run the evening run the store hosted. One of my college best friends, Kate, and I ran before classes for a semester, and then ran together again on occasion when she moved back to Maryland after we had graduated. Before we had kids, I could occasionally convince Luke to run with me, and even got him to run a half marathon when I was pregnant with Noelle. My friend Natalie and I started meeting up when we had just our girls, and now run with our double strollers- always an adventure!
thanks for the picture, Natalie!
One thing I would love to do with my running is use it for the Lord. I know that our passions and interests are from Him, and since running is such a blessing in my life, I would love to use it in some way to point others towards Him. I still don't necessarily know what that looks like, other than of course being thankful that I have the ability to do it. I would love to use running time as a way to connect with others and build relationships, but 5 a.m. is early, and evenings are hard with kids. But this is something I will definitely continue to pray about, and praise the Lord for what He's given!
I prefer to run without the stroller because I worry about how much the stroller affects my form when I do run with it. But the occasional stroller run is a great way to spend time with the littles, and they almost always end with some play ground fun when we're done!
Was National Running Day 6/3 or 6/4-- because of your post, I made it a priority to get out for a run yesterday, and I had my fastest pace since having B for the first mile of my run! I think the new shoes helped ;-)
ReplyDeleteI think it's really awesome that you want to use running to point others to Christ. I can't wait to see how He uses you!