Then I came home, and got struck down by a terrible cold.
No really, it was bad. I hardly got out of bed over the Easter weekend. Then when I started to feel better I had to spend the weekend in college. By that point the enthusiasm had gone, I was tired in the mornings and it was wet and cold outside. This morning I finally got my act together and headed to the gym. I tend to just do 10 minute interval sessions on the treadmill but even that was pure torture. I was too hot, I felt like I couldn't get enough air in my lungs and my legs hurt.
So why do I feel more motivated to go running tonight than I did last night?
Exercise is a funny fickle thing. It's totally addictive but it's also incredibly easy to forget how addictive it is. If you don't go running for a while you quickly forget how good it feels when you've had a run. There is nothing that beats that post run feeling, where your muscles feel all warm and your body is pumping around the endorphins.
That good feeling is the reason I run. Most runs are not enjoyable, I often find my runs are uncomfortable at the start. Once I settle into a pace it's fine but then comes the mental struggle of keeping going, particularly at the end of a run. It's a constant battle between my mind and my body - one is always fighting the other during a run. Yet it's also time for myself, when I can de-stress and focus on something other than work or the massive pile of ironing threating to take over the house. I like to run by myself, taking in the world around me and not having to think about anything except keeping my stride.
And there are certain things that make getting out of bed that bit earlier even more special. I have trouble sleeping in hotels and so took my running gear with me on holiday in order to run when I inevitably woke up far too early for breakfast. I was rewarded with getting to enjoy the most beautiful sunrise over Douglas bay:
If ever I forget why running is so completely awesome I need only look at these pictures to remember.
