This is Where it Gets Good

I just ran SIX MILES today. Six!! I haven’t run that far in over a decade. It honestly feels unbelievable that I could be at this point. After a month of running every day, I’m finally starting to get into the distances where it really starts to get fun.

One of the main things that I set out to do in this return to running is to rediscover the feeling that I can carry myself anywhere I want. Joining high school cross country was my first taste of freedom. Years before I could drive a car, I was memorizing roads, trails, routes around town. If I wanted to meet friends for a run, I would run to the starting point, do the route together, and run myself back home again. If I wanted to run a trail, it never once crossed my mind to wonder if I could run the whole thing. I ran 10+ milers at least once a week. I could run a half marathon on a whim. I was strong, I could carry myself anywhere I wanted to go at a moment’s notice, and that was deeply empowering.

I’m working towards a return to that. I want to feel the confidence in myself. In my relationship with my body. In the strength that we share together. I want to know that I can take any trail at any time. That I can go as deep into the mountains as I want, and have full confidence in my ability to make it back home. That I can commune with nature fully, because I’ve built the foundation of being so fully safe in myself.

I did that today. I stepped into a new dimension. Everything feels more expansive, and I’m a part of it.