jeanne and i were talking today about how some people don't understand that running is hard work. sometimes it feels easy, sometimes it really doesn't. everytime you go out, you have to make a choice as to what you want that run to be. do you want it to be a miserable, whiny experience that you don't enjoy? or do you want it to be an experience that makes you push hard, grin and bear it?

i've been pushing drew in the stroller this summer while we run. at first, i didn't think i'd make it two miles with him. i'd just finished a half-marathon and i didn't think i could even make it two miles. i made it three on the first try and i was proud of myself. now, some days i get a little help from my friends, some days i'm stubborn and want to see just how far i can push myself before i get sick....it's a weird thing that us runner's do to ourselves.....we see just how far we can go before giving up. i did four miles pushing drew on wednesday at 5:30 in the evening. it was 90 degrees according to marie's car when we started. yes, my quads felt like they were on fire. yes, my calves hurt like a mother and yes, i almost threw up for the first time in a long time. but i didn't throw up and i certainly didn't quit. running is much more a mental exercise than physical. i don't think many people understand that until they actually run. i've met some of the best friends i've ever had while running and more than anything, i think they're why i can keep doing it. we talk, we question, we gripe but most of all, we enjoy.

this post is about running, but it's also about the experiences we have in life and the choices we make. some people have very difficult things they face in their lives.....and often times people who can handle difficult things have them handed to them with more frequency than others. mamaw is once again facing a battle with lymphoma and it just makes me think of all the times i want to wimp out and not run. i know it's not on the same scale by any means, but it's all i have to compare.....if i had her mental fortitude, her strength and bravery, i'd probably be blowing records off the charts in my running endeavors.

the irony of my running and my relationship of that running to mamaw, is though i always feel like i'm running for her, she hates that i run. :)

"It hurts up to a point and then it doesn't get any worse." - Ann Trason

Running is a big question mark that's there each and every day. It asks you, 'Are you going to be a wimp or are you going to be strong today?--Peter Maher