Let Today Be D-Day

photo stop @ the Fuller Farm

“A dream written down with a date becomes a goal. A goal broken down into steps becomes a plan. A plan backed by action makes your dreams come true.”— Attributed to Greg S. Reid

I got up today, threw on some tights and a shirt, laced up my sneakers, and ran out the door. It didn’t matter that it was wet. It didn’t matter that it was suddenly cooler. It didn’t matter that my heel still hurt and my back was still sore. It didn’t matter for a hundred reasons. It mattered only that today is D-day.  On any given day, I could give a reason as to why I wouldn’t run, shouldn’t write, couldn’t make the time. But today is not that day. Today, I’ve determined to take one step in the direction of my dreams, forgetting the days behind me and looking ahead to the possibilities wrapped up in all that’s before me. I will not waste another day in the I -will-get-to-it-soon camp.

You see, there are a dozen reasons and hundreds of excuses for procrastinating. I’ve been there, done that, and it doesn’t make getting the thing that needs to be done any easier. Akin to that dig-deep feeling you get when you’re running and tired and you’d love to call it quits and just stop but somehow and from somewhere you feel resilience bubbling up – and like a phoneix rising from the ashes -you’re able to shake it off, fan those wings into a flame and burn a path to the finish line. It must be the runner in me but I have this desire to get back on the trail of my passion for writing about my health and fitness journey. Gratefully, technology makes it hella easy to just dive in. For unlike the “ole” days when I would quite literally take pen to paper, I only grab my phone, find a corner and some silence, thumb out a few words, and voila, today is d-day! The thing about falling off a routine is that it’s actually way easier that most of us anticipate. All it takes is no accountability and some procrastinating and pretty soon it’s a thing I used to do that I’ll get back to soon and almost two years later you’re like me wondering how the heck did I fall off the blog. Truth is I know what happened, life did. Life happens to us all. In fact, it’s happening right now. You and I, we’ve got choices and decisions to make daily that will either take us in the direction we want to go or not. I won’t bore you with past choices, but I will tell you that today I choose to write and I have every intention on going for a run tomorrow. It won’t pay to get too ambitious, so I’ll leave it there for now.

Back to the run today though, it was the best kind –  easy and pretty or pretty easy. I ran 2.5 miles to the gym, worked out, and then ran back home. Running in Georgia in the Fall season can’t compare with New York at all. The weather is so much warmer in these parts thankfully, mostly, I think, so I can run at midday and feel pretty good. It was a gorgeous sunny day, mild really, so I was able to stop on the way home to grab a couple of pics and appreciate the Fall foliage. I ran past farms and lots of greenery with some construction and traffic tossed in for good measure – and for a few minutes I could have almost imagined I was back in the big apple, zigzagging crazily to avoid ending up as road carnage. I ended up taking to the brush to keep pace and the lack of sidewalks reminded me that running in suburban Georgia is at my own risk. No matter, I won’t be thwarted. This city runner knows how to get around anywhere and everywhere is fair game when you’re low on options. And, well, let’s just say there are no commuter trains out here. No worries tho, I have feet that’ll take me where I want to run and then there’s biking around. The rest we’ll figure out I expect.

And that goes for writing too. I have a few ideas bubbling around that I’d like to mix and match with running.

Let’s see how I do.

Thanks for reading. I can’t wait to share more!

On a peachy run🍑

Fall in Love with Running too!

Photo: Baltimore Running Festival (source: dailyburn.com )

Each year, around this time (marathon season), I go into the virtues of running, the where and why the heck not. Aside from the fact that many consider the Fall season to be perfect for running, because of the cool down in temperatures, there are admittedly some of the best runs and races happening during this time in these parts. Thus, inspiration is all around you. And, whether you’re a runner or not, chances are you’re likely to suffer some serious runners’ exposure; that, to my way of thinking, is good enough reason to be a part of the crowd rather than be found standing off the sidelines.

Last weekend the world watched Eluid Kipchoge ran away with a record-breaking time of 2:01:39 at the Berlin Marathon. I mean, gosh, you couldn’t help but feel immensely satisfied, proud, hopeful, and a host of other things about his crazy-fast, amazing run. Who doesn’t want to run like that! LOL..or, at the very least, feel inspired to lace up and get out there and at least try, albeit for something on a slightly smaller scale.

In just about 2 weeks time, the Chicago Marathon is up. It’ll be awesome I bet. There are so many runners I know heading out there that I’m slightly miffed that I opted to sit this one out. And then of course the New York City Marathon is 2 weeks after that, which by the way, I’m running! Is it any wonder that we go a tad crazy for running around this time. Mind you, I’ve only mentioned three of the biggest and most popular ones. There are a host of other runs, marathons included, and other exciting adventures awaiting you this Fall.

Here’s a look at some up and coming, must-do, races this Fall for the adventurer in you. Sprint to a BQ, get your paddle on, get into character and enjoy a night run, or just run, whichever you choose, you can be sure you’ll have a blast and a bunch of memories from these destination, fun, and scenic courses.

  • St George Marathon, UT – Oct 6
  • Powisett Farm Trail Run, Dover MA – Oct 28.
  • Another Dam Race, Parker Dam CA – Nov 3
  • Rock ‘n’ Roll St Louis Half Marathon, St Louis – Oct 27
  • Xterra Harvest Half Marathon & 10K, Kenmore WA – Oct 12
  • Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon, Minneapolis MN – Oct 7
  • Steamtown Marathon, Scranton PA – Oct 7
  • Ashworth Awards Baystate Marathon, Lowell MA – Oct 21
  • Rock ‘n’ Roll Las Vegas Marathon – Nov 11
  • Chucktown Showdown, Charleston SC – Oct 6

And that my friends are just a few happening in these parts, by which I mean in the US of course. Internationally, there’s a ton more going on including the Dublin Marathon on October 28. I met a fellow runner last evening who was excited to run Dublin as a first marathon! I mean WOW! Go big or go home right? Well, that’s the thing with running, you just never know where it’ll take you or what great feat you will accomplish while there. Hats off to those who are willing to step up and find out, and who knows, maybe fall in love while you’re at it.🤗

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