Today, Mother's day marked my serious commitment to training for the Chicago Marathon in the fall.
Running is as much about fitness as competition and courage. It is a way to balance a very intense way of life. The beauty of training for a marathon is that you take it one day at a time, you start slowly, follow a plan and allow yourself the opportunity to succeed, and have the discipline to overcome a poor day.
Running has to be done, for the sake of self, for its restorative quality, a time for reflection and an opportunity for gratitude.
Today, on my first 10 mile run in over 4 weeks, I realized that my running has changed in a more meaningful way. The trails and roads that used to be my battleground, home to a desperate search for any means to escape from my daily life, have become my "cathedral", home to my daily prayer. I have discovered that running enables me to fight disappointment and fear, it teaches every day not to grow old, to keep on giving... to believe.