My first long run

Today was my first long run. It's amazing when you're motivated to do something, you really can tackle things that your thinking might tell you are not possible ( just ask Tiger Woods about his achievement in winning the US Open this past week). I was actually very excited to see what was possible this morning, and I was pleasantly surprised. My run of 9 or so miles ( I'll track the mileage in the car tomorrow) was slow/steady but I only stopped a few times (had to fix my hair- I sometimes wish I could run in a bathing cap!). I was on my feet for about 90 minutes ( like I said, slow/steady!) but right now, I'm working on just being on my feet for longer periods of time than my daily five mile runs. I did my first Half marathon in just two hours last May and I'm looking forward to working up my endurance again.

As I ran around the river, I was so moved by the scenery. I am so lucky to live in a wonderful city. The sun was out, there were crew boats on the river and the weather was perfect. I was just about moved to tears (I know, sounds a bit sappy). But being in nature and inspired by nature is, for many people, the closest they get to meditation or at least connecting to the feeling of gratitude. We need to add more gratitude to our individual days.

I met a good friend after my morning run at my favorite local coffeehouse, Zumes. He's someone whose opinion I respect on many levels and he's an amazing athlete, having completed triathalons and many other pretty hard core events. I shared with him my new blog and my new endeavor of running the Baystate Marathon in October. I told him of my current running schedule with excitment along with my completion today of my first long run. " You're going to take the day off tomorrow, right?" he said. "Well... no.... should I?" I said. "Yes! My god, you just ran your first long run, you ran 20 miles already this week before today- yes, take the day off tomorrow!"

I need to remember that moderation is the key to preventing injury. Mixing up running with yoga and even some other low impact activities will not only prevent overuse injuries but will keep my interest level up for the hard training that is sure to come in the future. Sometimes you need to reach out to others and listen to their perspective.

Is there something you're pushing yourself towards? A goal or a vision? What's driving you? A healthy desire or a unbalanced passion?