i come back to the pavement.

i ran sixteen of the slowest miles any human being has ever traveled on friday. by the time i crossed the threshold into my house i was utterly defeated. my pace is no where near where it once was. two back to back pregnancies have seriously slowed me down. for the last couple of months i have been desperate to get back in stride and pick my pace up before running the nj marathon at the end of april. that night i went to bed, thankful to have finally completed a long run with warm sun shining on my bare arms, but panicked over my splits.

the following afternoon after joking with my friend matt about fueling up on pickles and improper hydration during race training, i complained about my speed. he responded with a firm, “as long as you’re enjoying yourself that is all that matters.”

there and then – i made myself a hard promise to cut the crap. i decided to focus on all the reasons why – day after day – year after year – i come back to the pavement. and on the morning of the marathon… i am going to shut off all the voices inside my head and i am going to run.