Running Is Cheaper Than Therapy

I use to despise running! I mean truly REALLY hate running. At least until I was an adult, and even then I was more something I made myself do than something I enjoyed. I started getting into it during my husband's first deployment. I wanted to shed a few unwanted pounds, and I found that it helped me sleep better at night while he was away (if you are totally exhausted, it makes it harder to stay up late wondering and worrying). I worked up to my first half marathon in 2006 (thanks to the encouragement of a good friend in AK), and really got in pretty good shape, at least for me anyway.

Well then I moved back to Texas. In case you don't live here......ITS HOT.....and very very humid! I turned into a bit of a lightweight while living (and running) in Alaska, and once we moved home, I found that I just hated running outside in the heat, and since we weren't members of a gym down here at first, I didn't even use the treadmill. During the winter its perfect running weather, but alas, our "winter" doesn't last very long around here. Needless to say, my running became sporadic at best. Slowly but surely, I got out of the habit again.

Then, when James was recalled last year, I decided I needed to get my booty back in shape (as those unwanted pounds seem to creep back on when you stop exercising), plus I knew from past experiences, it would give me something to do while hubby was away. Shortly after James deployed, a friend of mine from high school told me she wanted to train for a Half Marathon, and would I want to do it with her? In the interest of being supportive, I agreed, and I thought this goal might keep me on the right track. When I started trying to work up my distance again, there were definitely a few times when "WHAT WAS I THINKING" crept into my mind, but as I slowly got my stride back, I seemed to find what I use to enjoy so much about running again. I even improved my Half Marathon time by about 15 minutes when Maureen and I ran the Tulsa Half last November!

Now my mission is to continue staying active even though my reasons for starting no longer apply (husband is home!). So, even though I am in the midst of another scorching Texas summer, I have been keeping busy at the gym, whether it be running on the treadmill or doing kickboxing and conditioning classes. I really like having that outlet. In the end the time it takes me to run those miles is time for me. And it really does help keep my sanity (and I am sure makes me easier to live with). Even if I don't always feel like it, I always great after I have done it!

Check out the cool running shirt I found online today! I am sure if you are a runner, you have seen them before, but I just had to have it! In a way, running IS my therapy!