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Running
It's been three days and I am on track with my streak: 10 miles on Saturday, 2.75 miles on Sunday, and soccer on Monday. And so far I'm feeling great!
"But Liz, does soccer count as running?"
"Well, you run when you play soccer, right?"
"Right."
"So yeah! Soccer counts as running!"
Okay, but what exactly is running?
In case you missed it, this month I am on a running and writing streak! I'm participating in the Write 31 Days challenge where I'll put up one blog post every day in October. I'm focusing this month on running and will run at least once every day this month as part of my running and writing streak. So why running?
Happy first day of October! So remember how I said I had a surprise for my October writing goals? I am so stoked about this month because I'm trying something totally different: Blogtober! I am participating in the 31 Days challenge where I post one blog post every day for 31 days.
I've got to tell you this: I love Carolina North at UNC Chapel Hill. The last time I lived in Chapel Hill I rented an apartment right across the street from Carolina North so I would just run across the street and hop on the Pumpkin Trail for my regular run. The Pumpkin Trail is a local area runner favorite: there are UNC students, community running groups, local area high school cross country runners, neighboring folks out walking their dogs, trail runners, annual Pumpkin Run and Philosopher's Way participants, power walkers, mountain bikers, and all other variety of people.
It seems like "tired" and "coffee" are two absolutes in my life. I will always be tired. I will always need coffee. Even on vacation. Last Saturday morning I woke up early so I could run on the beach. I'd missed the chance to do that over Memorial Day weekend and with two weekends in a row at Oak Island I wasn't about to miss my chance again. So at 6:45am on Saturday I headed out the door with my running shoes on.
When I have to myself long periods of time I tend to revert to some...peculiar habits. In my youthful solitude of being an only child I would write (obviously), read (of course), practice a half dozen instruments, and frequently engage in "bored running." Yes, bored running. It is a real thing, often deployed as an antidote to the dread "bored eating" and usually resorted to after several days of mindless couch potato-ing in front of soul-numbing TV.
I feel a sense of failure if a weekend goes by without some sort of grand adventure. All my time gets sucked up in the work week, so I feel pressure to maximize the two weekend days that I have.
I wasn't exactly looking forward to the Tar Heel 10 Miler on Saturday. It's a beautiful run past the highlights of Chapel Hill but gosh is the course agony! I never seem to focus and prepare for it mentally and emotionally: I was preoccupied by training for my spring half marathons last year and this year and didn't properly prep for the hills and do the 10 Miler justice. But all my friends run it, as do coworkers and acquaintances and (almost) family and people I know from college but haven't seen in years and fellow Fleet Feet training program members. And did I mention it's in gorgeous Chapel Hill?!
