Monday, September 19, 2011

My First Love

I think running will always be my first love.  While I REALLY like to swim and I (kind of) like to ride my bike, running is that one activity that brings me the most peace and seems most natural.

I've been running for about 20 years now.  There is not much in this world that I enjoy more than an early morning run where the world hasn't woken up yet and it's just the sound of my feet hitting the pavement on a cool, dark morning.

This morning I got to do a long run before work.  I started at 4:30 and felt like the only soul awake and alive!  Slowly but surely I started to see a few more cars, a few more people and then finally when I was running down by the factory in our town, shift changed and people spilled out of the huge facility to the parking lot. 

Best of all?  I was treated to an absolutely fantastic sunrise - my favorite part of being a runner!

Okay, this isn't actually a picture from this morning - it's not so cold in Pittsburgh yet that we don't have leaves on the trees!  :)  But the sky looked very similar here this morning!
19 miles later, it was time to go to work.  I couldn't help but be so thankful that I'm healthy enough to do this!

18 more days!

13 comments:

  1. love the early morning run... bumped up right now so no running:(( yes i agree seems the most natural!! nice pic:))!

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  2. Love this!

    And I guess if you can get up to run at 4:30am on a Monday I will suck it up and do mine in 2 weeks right before I leave for Kona :-)

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  3. I love running too. And I really do love running in the AM as the sun is coming up. I just love sleeping in more!

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  4. Yes my one true love too and the best time of the day!

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  5. I so relate to this post Beth. The bike, I can put away for months, but the shoes, not that long, and my goggles and speedos, even less.

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  6. 19 miles before work. Ha ha ha. I bet the carpet under your desk made a nice bed. What did you use for a pillow?? :)

    Congrats on your last race too. Want to know what I thought of it?? I wasn't surprised. I just figure you will always kick butt. :)

    You should really screw some races up sometimes so we can sometimes be surprised when you kick butt. :)

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  7. LOVE this! there is nothing better than an early morning fall run. was feeling the same way as I finished my long run last night- so blessed to be healthy and so close to this opportunity! we are so close now! only 2 more workouts with red letters that start "last long...."

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  8. gosh i wish i could stop playing sleeping beauty in the morning and go out for a run. but alas, my 9.5 hours is necessary... but i love my sunset runs along the charles in boston!

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  9. Gorgeous photo! Love how running just "takes you away!"

    tn

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  10. I was so distracted by the pinks/purples in the sunrise sky picture that I don't think I would've even realized that it was the wrong season for leaf-less trees :)

    I totally agree about nice it is to be out for a run before the rest of the world has woken up!

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  11. Awesome photo! I agree about the early mornings. If you run early enough and long enough you get to see creatures of the dark and light.

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  12. I just love the substitute picture for the sunrise! Hilarious!

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