Daily Chatter

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Extra Life


I always wanted to make my parents proud but lately I've been feeling a bit like a thief.


There is nothing like the feeling of an early morning run.  That stillness as you slip out of the house while everyone else is asleep.  The quiet as you moving along the road or trail seemingly the only one alive.

It feels a little bit like stealing.
Like stealing a little extra life.

I believe that running will allow me to live a longer life but I've also come to believe that running will allow me to live more of the life I have already been given.  Those stolen hours that I might have otherwise slept away.  Those evenings spent not in front of the tv mindlessly watching someone else live their lives but spent sweating, working and loving it!  Some times with kiddos playing around my feet.  Some times after their asleep in their beds, I'm stealing more life from the time I have.

When my non-running friends want to tell me how I am missing out on life by all this running I just smile in response knowing that I'm living far more life than they are probably dreaming of!

16 comments:

  1. I love the early runs before the kids are up. I think of it more as making time though than stealing :-)

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  2. Really? Do people tell you you're MISSING OUT by running? Wow I've never heard that. Could not be further from the truth. I like to think of it as maximizing/amplifying the life we have.

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  3. i love my early morning runs. Really it makes me feel like I can enjoy life more:) it prepares me for the day, makes me smile and allows me quiet before my kiddos are ready to go. Definitely stealing a bit of life!

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  4. Could NOT have said it better. Amen sister!

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  5. I ABSOLUTELY agree!!!
    Love that picture, blue looks great on you! :)

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  6. Stealing a little extra life... I like that!

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  7. Now that I'm not teaching for the summer, I have been doing my runs in the morning. I love just rolling out of bed, leisurely, and heading out while everyone else is tucked in. It starts my day off right and it makes for a better day for everyone else! Yep....I like squeaking a little extra life out of my day!

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  8. I like the stealing a little extra life. I love running because it truly fulfills my life and makes me a better person. I truly believe I am learning the lessons my soul needs to learn by runnning and if I wasn't running, I would indeed be wasting my life. I love your take on it and will have to share this perspective the next time someone tells me running is taking me away from my family or only harming me.

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  9. How come people who spend hours every day in front of their TV sets are not accused of stealing time away from their family and friends?
    And I so agree, that early morning runs are best. I mean B E S T.

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  10. Amen! Truly. I love running late at night in the Alaska twilight, when everything is silver-blue and no one else is around. It is pure heaven, and I know that you know what I mean.
    Cheers and happy running,

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  11. I don't see it as stealing. It's more like good stewardship of the time we're given. Making the most of it to be better, healthier people.

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  12. Early morning runs are the best, especially when everything is quiet. Some of my most magical moments have been when I am running in the morning, when the snow is strating to fall and you can actually hear it fall. It is just you and yourself. It does feel a bit like you are living life a little more, but that is what is all about. We only have one life, so why not live it completely and as much as possible? Great post!

    Maria
    Asphalt Tales

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  13. love, love, love this!!!! I totally feel the same way...those stolen moments alone are priceless!

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  14. I love this post. It's very beautiful and so true! Thanks for posting this.

    momshomerun.blogspot.com

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  15. I'm a regular reader and find your blog so inspiring; thanks!

    As a mom of young children, I would love to run in the early morning. Unfortunately, I have anxieties about running alone as a woman, especially on quiet roads or if it's dark. So much so that it keeps me from going, or I just go to the fitness center and run on the boring treadmill.

    My question is: What do you to to feel confident and safe as a solo woman runner?

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  16. Yes yes yes! I love this. Thank you!!!!

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