Yesterday was my 25th wedding anniversary. My husband and I chose to keep things low-key cause that’s the way we are and well, it was a Tuesday. We both also turned 50 this year. No fanfare. It is a happy anniversary even though we both wish we could win lotto and retire from our jobs.
Last night was business as usual although he did buy me beautiful roses and we exchanged heartfelt cards. He, though, has to be up at 4:00 am to go to work and I wanted to go running last night to work out the aches and pains from the “round” workout the night before. He wanted to veg, so he didn’t mind that I was heading out. Side note: Boy it’s getting dark early these days….
I don’t know that I will ever love running after work. It’s just tough. I made sure last night that I hadn’t eaten in the afternoon (a snack that is), but I still felt sluggish when I started out. And I had on a sweatshirt, which I shed pretty quickly. It was warm yesterday. I start with a .2 mile walking warmup, and then get cranking on the run. I’ve got new music on my iPod (Kings of Leon) and lately my running start song has been Walk Away, which has a really quick tempo. I swear starting with this song is making me faster. Last night however, I thought it might kill me. I was winded and felt like crap at the first hill. And I had 2.5 miles to go. Instead of just letting my iPod go, I picked a slower song and steadied my pace some so I wouldn’t pass out in what was quickly becoming the dark. I didn’t have my phone with me either so no one would have found me crumpled on the side of the road until the next day!!!
Even going slower, running felt hard yesterday, possibly because all of my muscles— particularly abs— were still screaming from the night before. At any rate, my head was screaming “WALK DAMMIT! much louder than the music. So I used a mind game I’ve seen on many runner blogs. I came up with something else to ponder while my legs did the running.
I chose to reflect on my 25 years of marriage. It hasn’t always been pretty, but it has been an adventure. I thought first about the day we got married. At the time I was running, I would have been dancing 25 years ago. It was a strikingly similar day weatherwise. I thought about how nervous we were at the church, how the few raindrops in the morning were good luck, how proud my parents seemed that day, how happy I was to be getting ready to go on vacation married. It was a fun wedding and a good day. I thought about our wedding night (we were exhausted) and our honeymoon to Maine and Nova Scotia. And then I moved on to the landmarks through the years. The births of my children, now ages 23 and 21, their first days of school, the day we moved into our house, the days I buried my parents, and so on. Before I knew it, I was running into my driveway. Hey, that reflection stuff really does take your mind off of the running.
I’ve been married for a full half of my life. It’s amazing how fast the time goes. And how clearly we can recall events that happened so many years ago. The first half of my life was spent growing up in a large family and trying to figure out my place in the world. The second 25 years have been spent taking care of my family and trying to figure out my place in the world. So far it’s been a good run. I’m happy, for the most part, with the turns my life has taken (although I would like a little more money if any law of attraction magnets are listening out there).
Last year, when I turned 49, I realized the one person I wasn’t taking very good care of was me. So I changed that. If I want to live at least another 25 years, I needed to pay closer attention to my health and well-being. And I’ve been successful doing that this year. I’m in what is probably the best shape of my life and I put my health needs first now. I deserve it. And so does my family. Maybe it’s just my ego, but I think they still need me. 
And guess what? I can fit into my wedding dress. It’s even a little big. That alone is worth every step I’ve taken in sneakers this year. And that’s worth a toast to the next 25 years.
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Diane, I love this post, I’ve read it with so much pleasure.
Great tip to set your mind on something else when running doesn’t go as we want too, I’ll keep that in mind.
I don’t mind running after work although I prefer morning runs.
What I don’t like, especially when it’s dark, is running after dinner. Today I was home late from work and didn’t do my pre-dinner run so I’ll make it up to myself tomorrow when it’s my day off so I can go in the afternoon.
Happy, Happy Anniversary –
Now if you only had time to go out dancing again…..
A good “run,” indeed –
Thanks for all your inspring reflections –
Have you ever done a post on the theme of “getting started”?
I love this post! Congrats on 25 years and a healthier you!!
Kate,
Ah dancing…. not your brother’s favorite activity! Way back when I started the blog, I talked about getting started…and stopping…and getting started again. Everyone has a different reason for getting started, and I’ve found that getting started (for like a week or two) is not as difficult as staying motivated. Having exercise goals has helped a lot with that!
So when all of the “tommorrow-I-wills” add up to “I’m-thoroughly-sick-of-its,” then I’ll finally get out and take a walk? I love what you write – what you’ve done and are doing – because you make it so clear that it is possible to change long-standing habits – Exercise is the key – and when one has a sedentary job, rides the rails to that job, and sits at the keyboard writing while at home, then the exercise ends up being shoved into the “tomorrow-I-will” mental bin – Catch 22: too tired to move because I don’t move….So did you just one day got up and get out and that was that? (I’ll look at your old posts and see what you had to say about “getting started” – Thanks, Diane -