My neighborhood held too many memories of Andrew…our walks, our bike rides, his skateboarding, his dog walking jobs. I could no longer round those familiar corners and walk those stretches of suburban road with their memories.
So Jen drove us to a nearby park. I had not exercised in months. We walked. I breathed. We talked. I cried. We walked. I laughed. Healing happened.
One. Step. At. A. Time.
Healing continues.
Sometimes in the smallest of increments.
Sometimes in a leap.
One day I shared with Jen that I was thinking of running again. Jen, a long time runner, suggested we add a mile of running to our weekly walks. Wednesday came and I chickened out.
“Um. Not this week. I’m not wearing a running bra.”
No problem.
(Could be a country song: "No Shirt, No Shoes, No Jog Bra ~ No Problem!")
The following week we began to insert a mile run into our seven mile walks. Seven miles. I’m not kidding! Today (7/21) we walked 7.65 miles with some running for good measure. Uphill. Well, actually up bridge ~ our Florida hills.
Early on in my Wednesday Walks with Jen, one Wednesday morning storm clouds brewed. Disappointed, I thought perhaps Jen would call and cancel. The sky was dark and channel 9 said, “Rain.”
The phone rang. It was Jen suggesting an alternate plan. She would bring over lunch and we could stay in.
“I really need to get out of the house” I told her. “I have a lot of nervous energy. Maybe it won’t rain.”
Within a half hour, Jen pulled into my driveway and I piled into her van with a rain jacket and an umbrella.
I think that was the day our friendship turned a corner. The day Jen became my “rain or shine” friend.
And on that day we out walked the rain.
Meet Jen. Wife to Adam, mom of three and my “rain or shine” friend.
When and why did you start running?
I started running in the 4th grade. My elementary school, Mildred Helms in Largo, FL, had an afterschool program called “Run for Fun”. We ran around the fields behind our school collecting popsicle sticks for every lap completed. At the end of the program I won a trophy for being the girl who ran the most laps. That’s all it took; I was hooked.
How do you motivate yourself to go for a run?
Most of the time I don’t need motivation. I enjoy getting out and pounding the pavement, working up a good sweat, being alone without interruptions. On the days when I don’t really want to get out there (usually because it’s really hot and muggy) I tell myself to just go out and do what I can. I give myself a break and know that even if I feel like walking the whole way, it’s OK.
How many times a week do you run?
3 to 4
Favorite route?
When I run alone, I pray a lot. Sometimes I start off thinking/praying about things that are really bothering me and by the end of my run the mountains have turned back into mole hills.
Psalm 97:5 “The mountains melt like wax before the Lord, before the Lord of all the earth.”
When I run with friends we laugh and come up with all kinds of things to talk about…we solve the world’s problems, plan vacations, visualize craft projects, come up with new business venture ideas…
What physical benefit do you enjoy most from running?
When I was younger I ran so I could eat anything and everything I wanted. That doesn’t work for me so well anymore. Even though I have to watch what I eat these days, I’m happy that running keeps me off of the diet roller coaster.
Running goals?
My goal is to keep on running as long as possible. I’ve adjusted my mileage and stretch a lot more in hopes that I’ll be running for a long time to come.
Cross-train?
Running is always a part of my exercise routine, but I mix in other things like walking, biking, elliptical training, and aerobics/exercise videos.How has running helped you be a better wife and mom?
Running provides a time for me to be alone and blow off steam. I have more energy to physically keep up whether it’s doing things like running around Busch Gardens for the day or just the daily work of running a home.
Jen's #1 tip for a mom who wants to start running:
Enjoy each run. If it means running to the end of your driveway and then walking back to your front door, then start there. If you push yourself till you’re miserable, you won’t want to get back out there tomorrow.
I asked Jen to share her most memorable run. I kind of figured she would tell this story.
When my husband and I were first married we rented a small little lake house in rural Odessa, FL. I loved that little house and the ambience of living in “old Florida”. As I would run I’d see lakes, cypress trees, mobile homes, and barbed wire fences.
One day I was running home when I spotted something ahead on the side of the road. At first I thought it was a dog, but then I realized it was a pig. This was no Wilbur though. It was a very large, black hog.
As I got closer I started to wonder if large hogs were dangerous, so I crossed the road. I would have turned around to take another route, but there was only one way home and that meant I had to get by that hog.
As I moved closer, “Wilbur” started snorting so I started walking. When the hog started running towards me, I took off like I’ve never run before! I could hear snorting behind me, but I never looked back and I never saw that pig again!
This happened in the early ‘90s when Jeff Foxworthy’s bit about “you might be a redneck if…” was popular. When I got home from my adventurous run, I told my husband “you might be a redneck if, on your run, you get chased by a hog [hawg] instead of a dog [dawg].”
"We take long walks on the trails of Eagle Lake Park,
Laughing and sweating and sharing our hearts." ~ Jen
On my Wednesday Walks with Jen, do I still cry?
A little.
Laugh?
A lot. A whole lot.
12 comments:
Thanks so much for "running" your thoughts by me! Check back because I enjoy keeping the conversation running.