Anyone who runs knows that there are those days when it takes a mile or so to get "into" the run. To get rid of the funk and get into what I like to describe as "my cyclical mode"; the pace of one foot in front of the other, the motion of the arms in sync with the legs, the lungs in peaceful cooperation as it inhales/exhales. Often I explain the feeling of running as the steady and rhythmic motion of a train. The gears and wheels become circles of motion that are in harmony together. Running (most days) feels like that to me, but it can take awhile to get into that groove. Yesterday was unusual, it was a day that doesn't happen often. A day that the harmony, the cyclical mode, began with the first shoe strike on the pavement. It almost makes me giddy now to think of it!
I have been running a 6.6 mile route recently that has a 1/2- 3/4 mile section that is STRAIGHT UP HILL! And yes, I mean some serious incline! I usually run the entire section, but by run I mean at times it is a very very slow jog. It is the longest section of the route and at times I have thought I would never get to the top. Well yesterday I began to see some significant progress. Not only did I keep my normal flat terrain pace, I wasn't huffing and puffing for air plus my legs weren't burning from muscle fatigue! I almost felt as if I had run through the mountain and not up it!
As I was finishing the last mile (an hour later), impressed by how easy the run felt...I got thinking about strength and endurance. About growth. About time. Consistency. Perseverance. Mountains and valleys. Trials. Pain. Sweat. April 2009.
This time last year, most days felt like my first several attempts up this street, shear torture. Most days felt like I would never make it to the top. They were full of pain and fatigue. But now, a year later...those days are few and far between. Like yesterdays run, I now see significant progress. Time is doing its work. Consistency is paying off. Strength is giving way to endurance (or maybe its the other way around) and I see the growth. These days I almost always sleep well, the deep sadness only pops in briefly, there's laughter and joy in my house again and I see a new normal finding its way with us.
I'm incredibly proud of my children. They have weathered some tough storms. They have had many transitions to make and emotions to process. But they've done so well and I just can't think of a better bunch of kids! I told Dakota so last night. I felt he needed to hear what an awesome job he's done this year and how proud I am of him.
I would love for "life" to feel as easy and harmonious as my runs. Like an engine that can maintain its speed, composure and strength in all circumstances. It's a bit unrealistic I suppose. Life has it's mountains and valleys and at times there is nothing easy about it. Sometimes its just flat out brutal. But I'm thankful today for the times when progress can be felt and the days are almost always easier. Oddly, I'm also feeling a deep kinship to the verse in James 1:2 that says "consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds." More on that later...
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