End of summer goal

At the beginning of the summer, when I started running, I didn't really have any end of the summer goals. Well, I guess you could say my goal was to make it through the end of the summer and still be running. There were some weeks where I wasn't so good about getting out 3 times a week, but I never stopped running altogether.

At the start, I hated running. I didn't even really enjoy the feeling I got after I completed my run. As time went on, I started to not mind it so much, but there was no way I was going to admit that anyone. When my sister was here visiting a month ago, we went running almost everyday together and I found that I actually kind of enjoyed running. It gets me out of the house with no kids and I feel pretty good when I finish. But even though this is the case and I've come to somewhat enjoy running, the most difficult part is getting motivated to get out the door. Once I'm out, everything is great. But for whatever reason, I'm never really excited to change into my running clothes and go.

After my sister left, I decided that in the last 1-2 months left of running weather I would set a goal to run up the hill to the temple. It's almost exactly 4 miles there and back, but the difficult part is the hill. The temple sits at the top of very steep hill that is probably about 1 1/4 miles long, with hardly any relief the whole way up. Last Friday was a pretty rough day for me. Both kids were sick and I was tired of cranky children and being in the house all day. As I began my run later that night after Michael got home, I didn't really know what route I was going to take and just kind of ran, not really paying attention to where I was going, relishing the freedom. Before I knew it, I was standing at the bottom, looking up that wretched hill. I decided to go for it and hope I could make it..... and I did! Once at the top, I was so excited, I couldn't stop smiling. Just for kicks, I held my arms up over my head, whooped a few times, and did a few punches in the air, ala Rocky Balboa. I got more than a few honks from passing cars for my victory dance. It was an awesome moment. I was so excited that I accomplished this feat (perhaps messed up in the head is more like it) that I decided to do it again the next day. It was much more difficult that time, but I did make it.

So, with maybe another month (quite possibly less) of running weather, I accomplished my goal, only to begin covering up any sort of toning my body may have gotten from the summer's workouts due to cold weather. Thus is life.