Ah running.

You keep me coming back for more.

And now I know why even more.

Yesterday I ran 8 miles. In my previous life 8 miles would have been a mid-week run that I’d bust out in 70 minutes or less. Now it’s my long run and takes quite a bit more time.

But I’ll take it. And, I felt quite proud finishing those 8 miles yesterday.

The night before I felt like I didn’t sleep well and was thinking about this run.

Running is not easy for me these days. I am heavier and have not run consistently in some time.

I thought “well I could just run 5 or 6 miles” and “I’m not really training for anything” while I tossed and turn throughout the night. Although, I do have the idea of doing a 10 miler in a few weeks in the back of my mind so I have been loosely following a training plan. (Keyword is loosely there!)

I think the bigger thing became doing it for me.

Feeling strong.

Knowing that I could do it and not wondering if I could if I had decided to shorten the run.

I also thought while running these 8 miles, “This is hard. If I can do this I can do other hard things, like losing weight and improving my health.”

Wow. Powerful.

It even caused me to pause.

And that is why I run. I now run for me. I run to know my strength and believe in myself. While I may not always run consistently, running consistently reminds me that I am strong.