thirty.seven.

The day came and the reality hit; it stung a bit but I got over it and decided to just embrace the day. the number.

As October 6th approached this year I found myself thinking about the woman that I often find running along side of me. Sometimes she’s slightly ahead, other times just behind; but she’s usually there somewhere. She’s sometimes the shadow, other times the reflection. But I know her well. finally. thankfully.

Lately I’ve paid special attention to her stride, how her ponytail swishes in the wind, how she maneuvers her way trough the tricky places. I’m reminded how these things have changed over the years. I’ve tried to live intentionally over the past several years and though I still have a knack for the “crash and burn” syndrome~ I recognize that there is growth and it softens the sting of thirty.seven. However, I’ve discovered something else that I want reflected from my life…

 

This past week, having just finished one [of many] standing sprint repetitions on the bike, my legs still burning and my lungs begging for anything that resembled an O2 mask…my spin instructor says “this is your active recovery”.

What? Active recovery? I have one of those?

Work with me here, but for me this was about balance.

I tend to be an all or nothing kind of person. I’ve typically been ‘all in’ or ‘all out’ and I’ve struggled to find a balance of an in-between. But as the class continued [my lungs now pleading for mercy], I kept hearing these words play back in my mind.

This is your active recovery.

In that moment I recognized it’s value physically, and it spoke to me personally.

During my last trip to Virginia for grad school, I made an active recovery decision.  It was a decision to find a better balance in my life between school, family/kids, social, running, etc. A place between an all-out sprint and all-out dead, literally. A middle ground where I’m still moving and yet still breathing!

After several months of an internal debate (a much more civilized experience than what our politicians seem to know about!), I decided to drop a class. The long and short is this: I won’t graduate in the spring. *gulp* But I will graduate toward the end of the year and I will do so with some level of sanity, a byproduct of a balanced life.

With that, as I continue to evaluate my reflection and what it represents about who I am~ I want it to say something about the wisdom of active recovery. So, here’s to another year…

of my life on the RUN!! I am incredibly grateful that God still forgives; He is amazingly patient with me and continues to bless my miles~

and moments!