I’ve fallen off the bandwagon a bit. The last couple weeks have been medium busy. A couple great runs in there and a few nights of soccer and one early morning hockey game. It’s not that I’ve been entirely sloth, I just had one run one evening after being in a vile temper, and I ran fast. I mean really FAST. Like 8:40/m pace (Boston qualifying speed!) for 3 miles. My mood improved tenfold and I felt like I’d conquered the world. Since then, it’s been cold and I haven’t been motivated to run… I haven’t felt the fire like I did that night.

Now I’m needing the stress relief again. Work is getting a bit insane again and I feel like I’m always on a learning curve. That’s a good thing but it’d be nice to feel competent! This morning’s developments have ignited the fire again. Running makes me feel like I’m running away (good thing) but in reality, it gives me the clarity I need to problem solve and get perspective (even better thing).

If I know that running is so good for me psychologically and physically, why do I keep breaking up with it? Time. Running is time consuming. So is watching The Biggest Loser Families but that isn’t hard. Boo hoo. Time to get off my bum and push myself! I can focus the churn I’ve got in the workplace and do something positive with it.

So, in preparation for the 2nd turning of the proverbial leaf… some food for thought:

The only way to guarantee that you will have time today to run, whether it’s a Saturday or a Tuesday, whether you’re single or have more kids than the Brady Bunch, whether you work 9-5 or at your leisure, is to wake up before the world does and rip that sucker off. No ifs, ands, or buts.

There are very few work-related reasons to skip a run. The editor-in-chief of a major magazine once told me, “Nobody is so important that they can’t be out of the office for an hour a day.”

You’ll never regret slowing your pace if doing so convinces one more person to believe that, although running is hard, she’s up for the challenge.

–Dimity of Marathon Moms at Runner’s World.