Marks of Progress

Every long run I do is a milestone. Having not trained for any type of endurance event since well before Ellie was born, every long run I do is the longest run I have done in a couple of years. Cool.  After knee surgery, running five consecutive minutes was an achievement. Today, I ran two hours.  I feel great. Though distance covered is an obvious mark of progress, there are other signs that I’m returning to the runner that I once was:

1. Life is beautiful especially when I’m running. I can be grumpy and stressed an hour before I start my run. Yes, hard to believe but it's true. In the middle of running up the mountain, my mindset changes as the sweat emerges from my pores. It's like I rid myself of an unwanted layer of myself. Life seems perfect. I appreciate the moment and the beauty of my surroundings. I have an overwhelming sense of gratitude for my health and my ability to run and everything amazing in my life.

2. Two consecutive days without sweat leaves me cranky. Okay, maybe this isn't a a sign of progress because I’ve always been cranky if I don’t exercise. Sweating is essential to my physical and mental health. As I get a little fitter, I miss the sweat even more when I’m unable to fit it in. I had to travel to Banff for a conference recently and though I got in a 45 minute run on the treadmill on one day, the conference and the travel left me so bagged that I was too tired to run for the next two days. I was tired AND cranky.

3. Weather is no barrier. This winter, we’ve run in a whole lot of rain and a whole lot of snow. It’s the beginning of April and even today, I hit snow heading out towards Norvan Falls. Otis loved it! I was inspired watching him leap through the snow banks as I squished through the slushy trails. We were soaked and cold…we plodded on.

4. I have a favourite flavor of Cliff Shot Bloks. I believe in eating whole foods as much as possible. But a banana stuffed in my camel back is not a tasty treat after 90 minutes of running. So, I’ve been experimenting with the candy flavored cliff blocks. So far, my favourite is Margarita...

5. I can do a long run after a hike with my 35 lb child on my back. Yesterday afternoon, we hiked up the trail near the back of our house. I wanted to see if I could still carry Ellie on my back now that she is toddler size. The hike normally takes 35 minutes. It took about an hour with Ellie on my back but we did it (Dora the Explorer theme song goes here)!

6. I can run home. Last weekend, I had to catch up on some work at the office. The only way of fitting in a run was to use my body to transport me home. I looked out my downtown office building window and considered the distance. I could see upper Lynn Valley but it looked a long way away! I looked out west to see the Lions Gate Bridge – even that looked far away. I laced up my shoes and headed out anyway. I ran through the park, over the bridge and past Lonsdale. I made it back to my hood feeling spent but not run over. For me, that was a mark of progress.

I hope you are all enjoying this training journey and making your own discoveries as you explore the world through running. What are your signs of progress?