I have a complicated relationship with running, symbolic in my love/hate relationship of this hill in the background of this photo from the morning. Trust me…. the rolling-ness appearance of it does not even come close to what it really looks like in person. Or feels like when you are running up/down this hill on a local running route.

This is one of my all-time favorite people. I met T when I was still working at Gilda’s Club Metro Detroit and organizing (on the side) fundraising teams for the Detroit Free Press Marathon, supporting my beloved non-profit. If you don’t know Gilda’s Club or Cancer Support Communities… Please take a look. They’re an amazing support for the cancer community. They have chapters in the US/Canada (beyond may be too?) and provide much needed support to everyone affected by cancer. Gilda's Club Metro Detroit

I digress. One of my oldest memories of T is her showing up for a training run, being a total bad-ass runner and then telling us she thought she was only able to run the 5k in the fall.

Jaw dropped, what?

Now…I am not minimizing any effort for any distance of running at all. 1 mile sprinters to ultra marathon runners, you do you. Be your badass self! However, T is such a strong athlete, I was taken aback she hadn’t considered a longer distance. She quickly jumped on board (I have been said to be persistent if nothing else in life!) and ran her first half and subsequent full marathon with me/us. Some of my best running memories have been with this lovely lady by my side.

Fast forward to what feels like a lifetime, I have fallen off with my running consistency. Yes, I have swapped some of my attention in my practice within the yoga world. Nothing feels quite like finishing a race or training run, however. There is that pride in conquering a distance that at one time felt out of reach, or racing up hills that make you lungs burn, or feeling muscles awaken that have been at rest for far too long…. all of it together in this amazing space make me feel alive like few other things in life!

Today…T was the mentor and I, the mentee. While I have been hanging out in yoga room (or more recently in my house like everyone else #thankscovid19) or walking in my neighborhood with my faithful doggo Layla the Wonderdog, I have left little time or stopped making running a priority. I asked to run together, that is true, but I was so intimidated it was all I could do to NOT cancel on my friend this morning. I didn’t. Despite my dog being up most of the night due to the thunderstorms and random fireworks (oh yes, the favorite summer pastime for far to many Michiganders), I got myself out of bed, pulled my hair up in a ponytail and met T for an unknown distance with an unknown route. All we knew we wanted to do was run “Willet”…. aka the hill in the background. Chatting with a friend like this, taking in the beauty around us, it felt effortless. Truly… effortless. Fast? God No! But today the point was….just enjoy the journey.

…..And that is the message that I want to be my mantra for life. I want to do more in my life that fills me up, and worry less about the outcome. T reminded me of this today….to judge myself less based on who I once was as a runner, and more on who I/we can be going forward. I started running at 34, and now as I am approaching 50 may be it is time for me to concentrate on loving the journey I am on rather than wishing I was somehow able to be/look like/feel like something/somewhere/someone else.

So hats off to those in our life we have been able to have around long enough to swap roles with every now and again, and continue to inspire, push & cherish every single moment along the way.

Even the sweaty & stinky ones!

Keep moving peeps! Never regret the runs/walks/etc you do. But trust me when I say, you will regret the ones you didn’t.

Peace….