{"id":997,"date":"2016-05-17T21:33:49","date_gmt":"2016-05-17T21:33:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/138.197.3.154\/?p=997"},"modified":"2016-05-17T21:33:49","modified_gmt":"2016-05-17T21:33:49","slug":"fell-love-running","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gracelivingstonhillgirl.com\/fell-love-running\/","title":{"rendered":"how i fell in love with running"},"content":{"rendered":"

I remember one of my friends in college, who had one of the most alive smiles I’d ever seen, and pretty, sparkling eyes, and such a cheerful personality that just being around her had the effect of hearing\u00a0the soothing sound of a stream bubbling through the rocks and trees. \u00a0Her laugh was merry and happy, \u00a0her hair was shiny, and she had the most beautiful\u00a0skin you could imagine.<\/p>\n

One day, she shared with us girls on my team of resident assistants, “If you go running, I promise you girls, your time of the month won’t be difficult at all!! \u00a0I love it!!”<\/p>\n

\"brunette<\/p>\n

I did not immediately concur with her advice or follow it, though. \u00a0I did, on my last semester, take the required Wellness class where we had to log certain hours doing various aerobic activities, and I remember that the week I selected to try running, there was a heavy snowfall.<\/p>\n

I was determined, however, to fulfill this homework assignment just like I always had every other, so I zipped up and headed out into the cold, strewn-with-boulders-of-snowplowed-snow sidewalk. \u00a0It wasn’t your optimum run. \u00a0I jolted along, trying to watch where my ankles were going to step next, and I returned wondering why people enjoy this sort of thing. \u00a0The condensation of my breath had soaked my scarf with sweat, and I felt extremely straggly and dirty. \u00a0(Not that that was an unusual feeling for me, having grown up in the country, but the only times I ran were when I was chasing a recalcitrant cow or one of my siblings in a game of tag.) \u00a0My wellness class teacher, with laughter in his eyes, informed me later in the cafeteria, “I saw you slipping and sliding out there the other day.”<\/p>\n

\"walking<\/p>\n

I’m not sure why I later started running every day. \u00a0Perhaps because it was the simplest form of exercise that I could fit into the smallest amount of time. \u00a0(Maybe they told us in wellness class that you need a certain amount of aerobic activity each day, and running was only 23 min. whereas walking required a whole hour.) \u00a0Perhaps it was because it helped me sleep during a time when sorrow and ill health kept me from sleeping.<\/p>\n

Anyway, it was really hard to get through it at first. \u00a0I was hot, short of breath, my side hurt, and I didn’t think I could go on much longer. \u00a0So, I alternated walking and running. \u00a0Twenty steps walking, twenty steps running. \u00a0Or one lap around our driveway running, and one walking. \u00a0After a while, it got easier.<\/p>\n

In fact, after a while, I started to enjoy it.<\/p>\n

\"running<\/p>\n

I felt a freedom in running down our country road at sunrise, lightweight and light of foot, floating along on the leash after our German Shepherd, watching the beautiful fields and trees surround and embrace me in the beauty of nature. \u00a0It was peaceful, and I listened to the birdsongs and watched the flash of a bluebird dip past me in flight upwards to the wire where he joined his mate in perch.<\/p>\n

(Aside: \u00a0not all dogs share my enthusiasm for running. \u00a0Some of our dogs, when it got warmer later on in the day, would park their posteriors\u00a0in the shade of every tree we came to, and sit there and look at me as if to say, “Can’t we rest for a while?” \u00a0Maybe that is why I went running at sunrise. \u00a0We had one, though, that just flat wouldn’t run. \u00a0She was a chow-chow, and, to be fair, she had enough hair to make three rugs out of. \u00a0Only once did I try to take her running. \u00a0When we started out, she kept pulling back on her collar, trying to slow me down, and then she would dig her heels into the asphalt, skidding along on her leash behind me. \u00a0Our neighbor laughed as I went by, dragging the dog, but he laughed even harder when I returned carrying the dog in my arms!! \u00a0I do not exaggerate.)<\/p>\n

Running made me feel giddy and happy; it gave me a sweet taste in my mouth. \u00a0It gave me\u00a0my good health and kept me from getting sick, ever.<\/p>\n

(Except for that time I ran when it was twenty degrees outside and I got really sick. \u00a0I don’t run in the cold now. \u00a0Or the heat. \u00a0And it’s not really safe for a woman to run by herself, especially in lonely stretches of road.)<\/p>\n

\"running

running on a wet day<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

I can understand that quote from Eric Liddell, “When I run, I feel God’s pleasure.” \u00a0I haven’t seen the movie about him yet, Chariots of Fire, but I really want to, because I love playing the music on the piano, and I respect the story of Liddell.<\/p>\n

And do you know, my friend with the beautiful hair, she was right!! \u00a0Running every day eased and soothed my pain during the time-of-the-month discomfort. \u00a0So long as I went running each day, I hardly even noticed the time-of-the-month.<\/p>\n

One thing that is imperative, though, when you run, is to stay hydrated. \u00a0If I don’t have a good quart or more of water in me, I Don’t Go Running. \u00a0I have noticed, too, that when I run indoors on a treadmill, and the temperature is warmer, I become\u00a0more quickly aware of that choking, stuffy feeling of “I NEED WATER NOW,” \u00a0When I open the windows, though, that feeling is somewhat alleviated.<\/p>\n

Too, you need good shoes. \u00a0I have a friend who was a track star in high school and university, and she said that New Balance shoes are what she prefers. \u00a0I have found that New Balance shoes always fit me correctly, and, yes, I do like them. \u00a0I especially like the fact that some of them are made in the USA.<\/p>\n

However, I am addicted to running so much that I will run in any shoes that are comfortable enough!!<\/p>\n

\"running

running shoes<\/p><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n<\/span>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I remember one of my friends in college, who had one of the most alive smiles I’d ever seen, and pretty, sparkling eyes, and such a cheerful personality that just being around her had the effect of hearing\u00a0the soothing sound of a stream bubbling through the rocks and trees. \u00a0Her laugh was merry and happy, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1009,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[16,6,8],"tags":[],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/gracelivingstonhillgirl.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/how-i-fell-in-love-with-running-2.jpg","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":1107,"url":"https:\/\/gracelivingstonhillgirl.com\/mango-smoothie-with-maca-and-greek-yogurt\/","url_meta":{"origin":997,"position":0},"title":"mango smoothie with maca and greek yogurt","author":"Jeanna Porter","date":"July 13, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"This is one of the prettiest smoothies that I have ever made, and it is absolutely delicious!! It is better than ice cream. \u00a0Too, the maca root, and the yogurt and mango, etc, have astounding health benefits for your body. \u00a0Maca root is wonderful for your hormones; it also balances\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "health"","block_context":{"text":"health","link":"https:\/\/gracelivingstonhillgirl.com\/category\/health\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"mango smoothie with maca and greek yogurt","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/gracelivingstonhillgirl.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/2016-07-09_060.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/gracelivingstonhillgirl.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/2016-07-09_060.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/gracelivingstonhillgirl.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/2016-07-09_060.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/gracelivingstonhillgirl.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/2016-07-09_060.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/gracelivingstonhillgirl.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/2016-07-09_060.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/gracelivingstonhillgirl.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/2016-07-09_060.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":785,"url":"https:\/\/gracelivingstonhillgirl.com\/kindness-and-gracious-virtues\/","url_meta":{"origin":997,"position":1},"title":"Kindness and gracious virtues","author":"Jeanna Porter","date":"February 16, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"\u00a0 \"A soothing tongue is a tree of life, but perversion in it crushes the bones.\" \u00a0-Proverbs Picture the river of life, flowing, sparkling bright and clear, through the eternal vistas of heaven. \u00a0And on either side of the river of life grows the tree of life, giving forth a\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "kindness"","block_context":{"text":"kindness","link":"https:\/\/gracelivingstonhillgirl.com\/category\/kindness\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"kindness and gracious virtues","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/gracelivingstonhillgirl.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/snappa-1455641157.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/gracelivingstonhillgirl.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/snappa-1455641157.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/gracelivingstonhillgirl.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/snappa-1455641157.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/gracelivingstonhillgirl.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/snappa-1455641157.png?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/gracelivingstonhillgirl.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/02\/snappa-1455641157.png?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1016,"url":"https:\/\/gracelivingstonhillgirl.com\/1016-2\/","url_meta":{"origin":997,"position":2},"title":"the delicious taste of good health","author":"Jeanna Porter","date":"May 21, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"That sweet taste in my mouth that I used to get sometimes when I was running didn't only derive from my exercise habits. \u00a0You see, I had been so sick that I was desperate, and I had decided to whole-heartedly take my doctor's advice concerning my blood sugar and eating\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "health"","block_context":{"text":"health","link":"https:\/\/gracelivingstonhillgirl.com\/category\/health\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"the delicious taste of good health","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/gracelivingstonhillgirl.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/the-delicious-taste-of-good-health.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/gracelivingstonhillgirl.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/the-delicious-taste-of-good-health.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/gracelivingstonhillgirl.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/the-delicious-taste-of-good-health.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/gracelivingstonhillgirl.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/the-delicious-taste-of-good-health.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/gracelivingstonhillgirl.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/the-delicious-taste-of-good-health.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1123,"url":"https:\/\/gracelivingstonhillgirl.com\/pear-grape-gingerbread-with-white-chocolate-fudge-drizzle-icing\/","url_meta":{"origin":997,"position":3},"title":"Pear-Grape Gingerbread with White Chocolate Fudge Drizzle Icing","author":"Jeanna Porter","date":"October 30, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"(word to the wise: this recipe makes 7 smallish loaves or 4 large loaves. \u00a0If you don't want that many, make only half of this!! 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