What Makes a Runner a Runner?

Well, what makes a writer a writer? Are you only a writer if you've had something published?

Are you only a runner if you've run in a marathon?

Or are you a runner simply because you run on a fairly consistent basis?

I am a mother because I mother on a consistent basis. I'd like to say I'm a writer (I have a TON of stories swirling around in my overactive mind), but hardly do I put pen to paper, so I can't claim being a writer.

Oh how I want to claim being a runner! But, I don't want to take the glory from those that actually run on a consistent basis and are true blue runners.

So for now I'm a wanna be runner. I hope that in short order I'll be able to confidently claim being a runner - and that it will be a true claim!

Run Like A Mother

I got this book free on my Kindle. And since it was free, it was definitely for me! I didn't really intend to read it actually. But wanting to read something "light" while waiting for my son's karate class to finish up, I dug in.

And now I'm hooked. So hooked, in fact, that today, after months of not doing more than a walk, I was inspired enough to get up early and go for a jog. I took my 10 year-old daughter with me. She had a fabulous time - she loves being outside, she loves being active. She loved seeing the sun come up and the many bunnies that crossed our path. We didn't jog the entire time. Instead we'd see a landmark and say, "think we can run to that pole/tree/house/street?" At one point I pointed to a tree, we jogged to it and when we got there, my daughter said, "I bet we could make it to that pole." And we did! So for a mile we jogged off and on. Not bad for my first time out in MONTHS. We walked the mile back, taking a detour through the desert.

So, back to this book . . . I've only read perhaps 15% of it so far, but have learned so much. I've learned that it's okay to take time out of my day for myself. It's okay! Also, one of the writers mentioned that by tackling a run first thing in the morning made the rest of the day feel like a breeze. Everything else was easy after a grueling run! It's nice to feel tough and to have conquered a difficult task first thing in the day. My daughter said something similar this morning. She said, "I feel like I've already accomplished something today!" And here we were, jogging when most of the world was still asleep. We accomplished something right off the bat today. What a great way to start a day.

I'm so glad I got this book. I think it'll be my running bible. Wisdom in that book, there is. Wisdom that this fledgling "runner" so desperately needs.