Runfessions and Fallfessions!
Well, it’s the last Friday of the month and you know what that means- I’m linking up with Marcia for Runfessions! But first- let’s talk, once again, about pumpkins. I said I wasn’t going to talk about pumpkins in every post, but yesterday Nicole sent me this: I love it! And I love how when people see tons of pumpkins, they immediately think of me. I am officially the Crazy Pumpkin Lady! But did you know it wasn’t always this way? When I lived up north, I actually- gasp- HATED fall! I know- the irony! I grew up in Illinois (the pumpkin capital) where I could do all the fall things- go apple picking, see fall colors, wear sweaters… and I hated it. What I really hated, of course, was winter, but fall meant winter was coming. In my 20s I was still living up north (why? WHY?) and one day I went for a walk with a friend. He pointed out the beautiful colors of the leaves, and I told him I couldn’t see the beauty- all I could see was that winter was coming. He said “Can’t you just appreciate this now and enjoy yourself, without worrying about what’s coming next?” My response was, “If you knew you were going to prison next month, would you be able to put that out of your mind and enjoy yourself today?” Yes, that sounds dramatic, but it’s truly how I felt. Every winter the entire world turned gray. It felt like someone threw a thick blanket over me, and I had to struggle through every day with that encumbrance. This was right around the beginning of SAD lamps, but they weren’t widespread. It wasn’t like you could just order one on Amazon. I’m not sure there was a SAD lamp big enough and strong enough to fix my SAD, anyway. Now you know why I live in Florida! But- the irony continues- after living here for about ten years, I started to notice how frickin hot it is in September… and October… and November. I started to “miss” fall- or rather, the romanticized notion I had of it. A crisp fall day would feel amazing right about now. So… Pumpkin Palooza was born. I mention all this because for those of you who are dreading the winter (Hi Engie! Hi Kim!) I want you to know I truly empathize. It IS awful, and if you’re not enjoying fall, I don’t blame you one bit. (Side note- Florida is a lovely place to visit in January- just saying.) Now wait just a minute! (you might be thinking.) How is this “runfessions?” Well, it’s hard to have a lot of runfessions when you’re not running very much. I’m plugging along, a little frustrated that this is where I’m at (when I thought I was going to run a 12 hour race in November) but at the same time grateful that I can run at all. Recently I heard someone on a podcast describe training like this: every time you run, or do your strength work, or mobility, or whatever you’re doing to train, you’re placing one brick on top of another. It doesn’t look like anything at first, but if you’re consistent, eventually you’ll have built an entire wall. Every once in a while someone comes along with a sledgehammer and smashes your wall to pieces; and then you begin all over again. I’ll just be over here laying down my bricks. And- stay away from me with that sledgehammer! I’ve had enough for the time being. How’s your fall going- are you enjoying it? Is your “running wall” big and strong, or are you building it back up from the rubble like I am?