There is always something wonderful about holidays. Especially holidays that are not large family gatherings. Here in the states, today is a celebration of the life of Martin Luther King Jr.
“I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.” – Martin Luther King Jr.
His dream has not yet been reached, but we are closer than we were in his life time. He dreamed that his children would be alive when that day was reached. I share his dream.
Out on the road, I think we are all equal. Some may be faster, some slower – but we are all out there together, competing against our selves. I don’t believe there are to many other sports that this could truly be said about.
I had taken yesterday as a non-running day, focusing on letting my knees heal. I stretched, and rolled instead. That played out well for me today – So my goal was to make up for that long-run that I had missed. I decided to do the full Crofton Parkway loop, which combined with my journey there – works out to a 6 mile run. I was surprised that my legs felt tired after a day of rest, but going into it they still did. I knew that I could cut my route short if needed – its one of the reasons I like this route for 7 miles or less.
After getting over my concerns about tired legs, I have to admit – I really enjoyed the run. It’s the longest run I have done in a while, and it felt good the whole way. I was really pleased that I was able to keep my pace at the 9 minute mark. It was very satisfying to get a distance over 5 miles done for the first time in a long, long time.
When I looked at my splits at the end, I was REALLY pleased to see that mile 6 came in where it did! Obviously, my speed is not back in 19 days. But I am so happy to see progress, and know that at least -the performance dampening that the beginning of the whole30 had caused is long gone. In April, I have the Cherry Blossom 10 mile run. When I last ran it, two years ago – I jumped into it with no training, but lots of zeal. I averaged 9 minute miles. I’m looking forward to seeing what this year holds!
I run, because I am a runner. Having realized that I have always "been a runner" - even when I went years with out running, I am learning how it has integrated itself in all aspects of my life. When I started running in highschool, my perspective on life changed. Funny that I didn't realize how much it had affected it until just recently.
Once and Future Runner 
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