Walking on Wednesday ~ I Just Keep Runn-Innnggg

I was never a good runner.  My sister, she was the runner.
 
Being younger than her, I was the tag-a-long, I was the copy cat, and usually it drove her crazy. So when she discovered she was a good runner, I followed her and ran too.
 
I soon discovered, way back in middle school, that running wasn't for me. I always finished last, and dang it hurt! I was much better suited in the pool, where I always loved to be since I could remember. (I was the one who stayed in our family pool until my lips turned blue.)
 
Add to that a knee injury I got while playing indoor soccer, running was not for me!
 
This was reinforced a few years ago when my daughter was on the cross country team. I tried to run with her, and hurt me knees so bad I could not make it up a flight of stairs. That ended running for me altogether.
 
So now you know I am not one of those natural runners, one of those die-hard, 'isn't running great?', 'everyone should run' cheerleaders.
 
Until recently. 
 
I have been walking almost every day since March, trying to get fit, lose some pounds, and just feel better. My knee could handle walking. But a few weeks ago I thought I would add a wee bit of running to my walk.
 
And it felt great! Do you know why it felt great? 
Because when I was running, my thoughts became focused, my worries became challenges to tackle, my stresses were relieved.
 
When I was running I was accomplishing something that had always been difficult for me. I set small goals - just run to the next corner - and when I reached that corner I felt like I won! I reached that corner, and felt like I could reach the next one too. 

It wasn't JUST about running, it was about the mind-set. It is about focus, determination, and not about just running. 
 
So now, I just keep running. Because it honestly feels better when I am done. Yes, some days it hurts, sometime I am breathing so heavy I think my longs are going to explode. Some days I start out thinking, 'today I am just going to walk', but after the first 5 minutes of walking, I get the urge to pick up the pace. Because... well... why not? Because I CAN! 

My knees are doing great too, which surprises the heck out of me. 
 
So I just keep running. It helps me stay focused, it helps me get through the rest of the day. Especially since some days that is the only really good thing I can say about the day, that I ran. 
 
I just keep running. I will keep running too. It is now something I almost need to do. I need that focus, that clearing of the mind, if only for a half hour, if only once a day. And the good thing is, I FEEL like running. Even if I start out feeling like walking, I feel the need to run.
 
I will keep running, because I just feel like Runnn-Innnng.