The Loop

I have been running not walking at Memorial Park on a regular basis for about 6 months now. Even before Sadie proposed running a half marathon, I had been not walking in secret, just to see if I could do it. I didn't want to tell anyone because most people I know here run (for real), and I was afraid they would try and run with me which might have caused extensive embarrassment. Plus, for many years, my motto has been "I don't run, but I will cheer you on." I was trying not to let everyone know I had just been too stubborn to really try until I was sure it could be done.

During this time, I ran my first full mile since high school. It was painful, and I still didn't like running but I was proud of the fact that I lugged myself a whole mile without stopping for the first time in my adult life. Additional distance didn't come quickly after that,  but I still ran occasionally, proud of each mile.

My running spot of choice (for the time being) is the Seymour Lieberman trail at Memorial Park. It's about a 3 mile loop with quarter mile markers along the way. I don't have fancy watches, phones or apps to keep track of how far & fast I go, so it's a nice way to tell how far I run while trying to remember to time myself. Baby steps.


When I first started not walking, I would always go around the entire loop, trying to run as much as I could and walking in between. I remember thinking that maybe one day I would start my run and go around the whole loop without stopping. And no only that...  but maybe the day would come where it didn't suck.

Well, today was that day.

I have run this loop without stopping a couple of times before and an equal distance elsewhere a time or two, but today was the day I ran that loop without too much difficulty. I felt pretty good, I didn't contemplate stopping to walk and I didn't have to concentrate on my breathing the whole time. Toward the end, I thought of myself trying to do this 6 months ago - a mile was a painful victory. And here I am doing the things I only thought were maaaybe possible such a short time ago. These kinds of personal victories are so sweet!