Vacation Days

The family and I went away for the weekend…and unlike any other time, concern for maintaining my running/walking routine was on my mind.  Almost immediately upon arrival I asked my host if she would want to go for a walk with me early the next morning (it was 1:00AM), or where I could go for a great run.  I know.  I am obsessed.  I am by no means a great runner.  I have a bad knee…and feet.  Injuries from previous days of running, made worse by the weight.  So, it is, by no means, easy.  But it is something I love to do, and it’s harder and harder for me to not go into a jog when I start on my walks.

She promised that the next day we would be at a place where I will have plenty of room to run or walk for miles if I wanted to.  Turns out, it was the beach.  And though lovely, with 8 miles of terrain along the shore, it wasn’t by any means easy to run or walk on.

First of all, I wasn’t dressed to run on the beach.  It was over 90 degrees when we arrived and I have already experienced running on the beach in high temps with no drinking water, over dressed (meaning too much covering, and no sun screen), and the feeling of near death that followed.  The beach was a surprise, and thus, I didn’t bring beach clothes, or clothes appropriate for running on it.  Plus, it was crowded, not easy to navigate around so many little kids playing along the same shore.  (Sigh).  I walked a bit, but with my little ones by my side, so a fast walk was also not possible.  By the time we got back to the house, I was so exhausted and worn out from all the fun and day spent in the sun that I didn’t run that evening either.  It ate at me.  I couldn’t shake the feeling of having failed some how.  Any other, more focused, more dedicated person, would have made it work out.  These are the thoughts I let get to me.  I tend to be hard on myself in most things.  It’s a learned habit.  I try not to beat myself down too much though, and by the end of the night I made peace with myself by promising to go the next day, and by focusing on the amazing day I spent with my friends and family…and by the fact that I didn’t eat myself into oblivion or made too many bad choices…not always the best ones, but not too many bad ones either.

I woke up this morning, put on my work out gear and headed out…unsure of where I was going, unfamiliar with the neighborhood, but focused on getting a good sweat out of it.  

I hit a few hills, and pushed myself past each one.  I didn’t run the entire way, walked some, but got a good work out…and with The Runner pushing me the whole way and encouraging me to push myself, walk faster, go further, I managed to get a nice workout. I even took a minute to stop and admire the scenery.

Here’s the skinny: Not everyday is going to be perfect, not every day is going to be good.  But I have to remember that I can’t get too lost in the things I didn’t accomplish so much so that I overlook the things that I did.

I suspect that vacation days will be hard for me.  But I need to remember that I can’t equate them with being bad for me, even if I miss a workout. I spent a wonderful day with my family and friends.  My kids laughed, wholeheartedly, the entire time. My husband kissed me and told me he loved me, my friends extended their home, friendship, and kindness to us.  In the end, nothing of value was lost…but many valuable memories were created.