We are two sisters living on separate sides of the country. One of the things that connects us, beside our love of hot beverages, is fitness. We love to run and strength train, and share the benefits of exercise with others. From the sisters who created Illume Fitness, we bring you Illuminated Runners: musings on running, cross fit, strength training, family, travel, life, and some serious dorkiness in there, too. "The spirit illuminates everything."

Tuesday, May 5, 2015

My Golden Egg

It has been over a year since my last post. In many ways, it's been a pretty awesome year. I got a job that I love, working with great people, the boys are growing and it's fun to see their unique selves emerge as they get older. My sister had a baby, little Adeline, who is now toddling around with serious cuteness. So, yeah, life has been happening.

In the constant balance of life, though, not everything has been awesome. Since I hurt my back a year and a half ago, I have had a string of injuries. I was able to make it through many running years injury-free, and now I seem to be paying for it. I did have a few good running stretches in the past year, though. I was able to run a sub-6 minute mile last July and ran a 20:46 5k in the fall. Not the times I was hoping for, but I wasn't totally crushed. Then from Christmas to early April I was completely out of running- dealing with plantar fasciitis and GCKA (General Crappiness in the Knee Area). Coming back from the GCKA has been particularly hard, and now that I'm just starting back with running I'm realizing how much I lost and how hard I need to work to get back to where I want to be.

So, where to go from here? The big 4-0 hits at the end of the summer, and I have self-induced pressure to get some personal records before I'm too stinking old.  I'm not even near the shape I was in two years ago, and I'm kind of freaking out. Am I ever going to be able to run fast again, are my glory days over? Do you feel a Bruce Springstein song coming on or is it just me?

The point is, I need to find my golden egg. Some dear friends had an Easter party a month ago. They are famous for the amazing eggs hunts they have on their land, with literally hundreds of little plastic eggs hidden in their woods. They also hide a golden egg, and the child who finds the coveted golden egg wins a prize and in most cases, a lifetime of happiness (my 4 year old still regularly talks about how he found the golden egg 2 years ago). I know there is a golden egg that will open the door to strong running for me, that will help me reach my goals. Right now, I'm just standing in the woods, taking stock of where I'm at and keeping my eyes peeled for that golden egg.

And, as always, reminding myself that no matter what, if I feel like this when I'm running, I'm doing it all right:




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