Saturday, January 10, 2009

Sun.Run.Fun


Today was an absolute treat. The temps here have been -25 to -35 for weeks and today some crazy weather force came through and it came up to -1! Not only that, but the sun was out full force, which rarely happens in the winter up here.
We had planned to meet the group in the morning, but I decided I really just wanted to run by myself. I have been training people all week, and have been squeezing in my own training, and today I really just wanted to do my own thing. D woke up with a sore neck and also decided to bail on the group run. I spent the morning doing work on client programs and D headed into the bank to work on his project from hell. I got a lot done but D was home not long after he left as the system was down at work. As much as I want him to finish that thing, I was also happy to have him with us for the day.
After working my magic massage on D, he felt better and we decided to head out for our run. It was sooo nice not to have to bundle up in 44 layers and cover every inch of skin. It was also really nice that D took Harley and I didn't have to worry about anything and could just run.
I had one of the most pleasurable runs I've had in a really long time. I felt great physically and it felt almost effortless to run along at a good pace. I felt so free without all the layers and I loved the sun on my face. I thought about my week, my clients, what I am grateful for and some of my goals for this year. I also thought about how much I love living here, and how lucky we are to have so much love in our home, and in our families. I also enjoyed just admiring the sparkling snow on the trees, the feeling of it under my feet and seeing all the other people and their dogs out enjoying the day. I had my favorite music in my ears and was so in the zone that I reached my normal 45min turn around without having looked at my watch once. When I did look I saw that I was only at 41mins so not only was the run effortless, it was faster than usual. I ran on another 9 minutes because I was feeling so good and then headed back. I felt strong all the way and picked up the pace for the last bit. I got home at 1hr36 and decided that I wanted to run 1:40. I headed back out to see if I could pick up the boys, and after getting to the end of our street I found them and we finished together.
Today reminded me of why I love sport. The fact that I can use the words Run and Pleasurable in the same sentence. There was a time when I would have never believed that possible. The fact that I felt renewed, replenished, invigorated and relaxed and it didn't cost a cent or require any chemical substances..haha. The fact that I have worked over 40 hours this week being in service to other people, and in 100mins I was able to completely re-fill my cup.

Now if I could just get to the place where I could use the words IM swim and just for fun in the same sentence like Kelly...

TFTD: Run 100 glorious mins

And just for fun... a shot of Harley. I was working in my office talking on the phone with my dad and he asked how Harley was. I turned around to look at him and he was cuddling his teddy. Too cute.

4 comments:

Lisa Ulrich said...

AWESOME and so true! Great job on the long run, too! That is the best feeling ever when I have a run like that!

Naomi Rae Nicholson said...

Sounds like a perfect day, Amber, and just what you needed! :) Yay! Good for you!

As for the tanning, SPF 55 is proving to work a little too well. My genetics (and dark hair and eyes) lend themselves nicely to being able to cultivate a dark brown tan, which is what is happening. My face...well, it's really WHITE! Hope I made you laugh!

Real sun always feels the best, doesn't it? :)

Nadeen Halls said...

Off leash recall is just a fancy way of saying ... I'll let you run off the leash for a bit ... when you get not too far ... I'll call you back ... sometimes I'll give you a treat and sometimes I'll just make a big deal about the fact that you ACTUALLY CAME BACK :) It's tough to do with both of them together (distracting) but when it's one-on-one, quiet and no one is around it's a good time to practice. That way ... when someone or other dogs are around it's SUPPOSED to be easier. You guys probably do this anyways.

Jenna said...

oh i so need a run like that...sigh:)