Week 3 Every Tuesday January 17, 2017 Heart’s content.

I have such love and appreciation for my extraordinary everyday! This past weekend is a fine example of remembering that I am unshakably ok, even when something feels hard.

Saturday was pretty darn cold and a gloomy sort of grey.  It took some extra effort to gear up and head out the door, and I am really glad I did!

I went for a run.

I should begin with admitting that I’m not a runner. Not a real runner, anyway, even though I completed a marathon 17 years ago (5:34) and I’ve done a good handful or two of ½ marathons throughout the years. I haven’t run in 7 years.

Today, I think it’s probably more accurate to call myself a trotter…and I am so pleased to be re-discovering contentment in my everyday in this way.

I gave up running due to an injury, and I can honestly say that I have missed it. Here are just a few of the things I loved about running that I’ve missed:

• I love early mornings and being outside as the sun rises. It’s such an incredible way to affirm the beginning of a day.
• I love that I can go anywhere with a pair of running shoes (and a good sports bra) and get a good workout in in less than an hour.
• I love being in my body as it works to move, even though it doesn’t always feel comfortable.
• I love the sound of my breath in my ears.
• I love conquering that little voice of doubt that whispers in my ear “this hill is too steep, you might as well walk it” by not giving in.
• I love taking my tough times to the road and running through them.
• I love the solitariness of a run on my own and I love the camaraderie shared with everyone else who runs.

In the past few months (for lots of reasons, including the holidays) I’ve put on some extra weight. I’ve been walking (doing my best to get 10,000 steps a day) and I know that getting a little more cardio would help me shed the extra pounds. I decided to (carefully) try running again and I am very happy to report that so far, so good! I’ve been using the Couch to 5K program. It’s designed to slowly (and gently) help someone like me (not a runner) to build up the ability to be able to run again!

So, I installed the C25K app on my iPhone and I started out slowly. That first day out I alternated walking for 90 seconds with running for 60 seconds and slowly I’ve been building over time. I’m not going to lie. It’s been tough and I haven’t felt great. My body is heavy and I feel incredibly slow. My ankles and my knees and my back are all reminding that I am out of shape. And that voice of doubt that sometimes whispers in my ear… it’s been practically shouting at me that I don’t run. And now that I am older, my metabolism burns slower, so the weight takes longer to lose than it did when I was younger.

I am pleased to report that I successfully completed Week 5 Day 3 this past weekend! I put my heart into it and I ran on a cold and grey Saturday, and at the end of it, I discovered another beautiful heart out in the world. It put the extraordinary in my everyday, for sure. I plan to stick with it.

For anyone reading this who knows what it feels like to be discontent, there really are all kinds of options available for finding the extraordinary in your everyday.

I can’t wait to get back out there again. How cool is that?

P.S. – One fun thing I’ve done to share in what feels like a big deal to me – I take a picture of my shadow at the end of each run and text it to my sister, Jenny. I love sharing my progress with her and I would love to hear from you about the progress that you make in discovering your extraordinary everyday, too!