I have goals. Some are more long term, such as getting a BQ, others are more simple, like having 6-8 servings of vegetables every day. Another life goal: becoming a morning runner.
Nearly every Sunday I tell myself that I’m going to wake up the next morning and get my run in before work. I don’t have to leave for work most days until 8:30am (or a bit later), so it should be easy! Nope! The morning runs almost never happen. I love my sleep. I need my sleep.
I have spent years beating myself up for not getting my butt out of bed in the morning for my run. For not embracing the opportunity to run outside and for choosing to run on the treadmill at night. The reality is, on average I work 10 hour days and typically don’t get home until 8:30-9:00pm. When I get home I would rather unwind than go straight to bed. Then comes the decision: sacrifice sleep and get up early to run or run at night on the treadmill. (I would love nothing more than to get my run done outside, but refusing to run alone in the dark places me on the treadmill.). Sleep wins hands down.
Instead of beating myself up for not getting outside, I have decided that life is too short and I need to embrace the treadmill runs. Sometimes our goals need the kibosh put on them, or at least have a pin put in them. It’s ok. And it’s ok to run on the treadmill. A run is a run as long as you get it done.
In Search of My Running Tribe 