My love/hate relationship with running

I love to run.

Well, no, that isn't really true. Running makes me sweaty (yuck!), it gives me blisters (one so far, and I am a little proud of it), it hurts, and in the Texas heat I have to wake up ridiculously early so I don't die from heat exhaustion (generally I don't start firing on all cyclinders until about 10am or so, and yet I run at 5:30 in the frickin morning).

So I love to run, but I hate to do it.

However, here is the thing. Out of all three sports I train in, running is my favorite. Why? It makes me strong. Remember how I said I have never been an athlete? Distance running of any kind has always been this pie in the sky sort of thing for me. Me...run? No, I am not a runner I would say...I don't have the genes necessary for running or being athletic. That's what I used to think.

And yet, I am a runner, I am now an athlete. It is part of who I am, part of my identity, something that makes me feel strong mentally and physically and proud of what I am doing. For instance I ran 8 miles last Sunday...EIGHT! It hurt, and I was sweaty, and I wanted to quit 30 min. into the run...but I didn't. I fought through it and I felt on top of the world when I finished. I don't really get that same high from biking or swimming. Mostly I am like yay! I am not the last to finish our bike workout! Or...yay! I didn't drown at swim practice tonight.

My expectations are a little lower I think.