We all have days when it’s hard to get out of bed before sunrise and coffee to throw our running gear on while half awake. But we do. What inspires someone to get up at 5 a.m. in the winter when it’s 10 below and put on three layers of running clothes, a reflective vest, gloves, headband, runners, and a heart rate monitor ? It can’t just be about the exercise when there’s a heated gym just down the street.
Running in its purest sense has so much to offer and few restrictions. What you put into it, you’ll get out and much more. I used to measure the success of my running by how far or fast I could run. Injuries, age and life have changed all of that.
Now I measure my running by my experiences- by the people I meet, the beautiful places I run, the connection I have with the people I run with. Whether it’s a feeling of contentment while running the scenic trails of Dundas Valley or the adrenaline rush of running with thousands of people dressed in Santa suits in downtown Burlington, I love the variety that running has to offer. And one never knows when and where inspiration may strike.
On several of my Sunday morning summer runs with a group of like minded individuals led by our energetic and unofficial coach, Helene, we ran into Olympian Reid Coolsaet on the Dundas Valley trails! Just seeing him fly by us was enough to get us to increase our speed for at least the next 50 meters! Running and training with kids a third of my age and my 20 year old son also helped me to work on my speed. Thanks to them and a 12 week running clinic with the Phat Chicks, I was able to clock a new personal best in my favourite race, the Sulphur Springs Trail Run.
Here’s a challenge for 2013. Try a new race or a different distance of a race. Add some interval work or hill training to your training runs. If you run alone, try a local running group. Mix it up…keep it interesting and keep on running.
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