As I’m getting back into running I’ve had times where I’ve had to walk every hill – every single hill, even small ones and short ones.

Now as my running is becoming more consistent sometimes I can continue to run up a hill, but sometimes, I still have to walk.

Some days I have to walk the same hill that I just ran the day before.

This would frustrate me.

But now I’m coming to terms with it. Progress is not linear.

And, there are many, many variables that can affect a run. It might be hotter or cooler. It might be sunnier or windier. I might be tired from working all day.

No, these are not excuses. This is reality.

We can’t downplay those variables of reality. But how often do we downplay these?

Sometimes it is good to run up a hill.

Sometimes it is also ok and good to walk up a hill.

This is yet another parallel between running and life!

Sometimes we may need to have a goal of getting just ONE thing done in a day. Or, maybe not even that. Maybe the goal is to do nothing. Sometimes Rest IS Best!

Sometimes we may have a day with a pretty long to do list to conquer. And so we run up that hill.

The key is the in-between, finding the balance, and being ok with it.

We can’t keep running up the hill all day everyday. Or, I mean we could, but the result is we crash and roll down the other side.

By walking up that hill, taking a break from work, and even resting, we can run strong down the other side.

So it’s ok and good to walk that hill. Just keep going!