Day 3 in the Slice of Life Daily Challenge. Today my thoughts are on limits. Where are mine?
Today I ran on the treadmill in the garage, rain falling outside, cool air drifting in.
I ran in middle school, high school, college, and after.
I’ve run short, medium and long.
Fast and not so fast, but at the time, it was never fast enough.
I’ve moderated to accommodate injury, illness, my limitations.
Limitations. Where are mine now? I don’t run as much as I use to, but while I’m running, there is a focus and a fluidity that doesn’t happen anywhere else. I think. I realize. I make lists. I change plans. I clear my head.
As I start running, I worry. Yesterday my knee was swollen. This knee has been problematic, an old injury that acts up when I do too much or push too hard. So I approach the treadmill tentatively. I increase the pace slowly watching out for any pain. Nothing so far.
I get to a mile.
My thoughts wander off to the flash drafts the kids are doing on the blog.
I don’t want these drafts altered without preserving the original.
So that means I have to print them out. Shoot.
I need Google docs. I tell myself for the millionth time.
Note to self get the name of the tech guy to Yolanda.
How to print them out… wifi messed up the printer.
18:24 on the clock.
My thoughts shift to reading.
How to mix in non fiction while maintaining the lit clubs…
Switch to Monday, the longer day...
I look down, 25:34. Oops lost track of time.
My thoughts shift to running, and limits.
I don’t want to push to it.
Just one minute more I think.
One minute, just one, just one more before time runs out.
Then as the minute passes, I add one more.
Just one more I think, just one more minute.
I get to 4 miles. Enough.
I cool down. Strangely a slower pace is a jolt to the system. I speed up to cool down. Then a bit slower, slower till I stop in comfort.
Where are my limits? In running. In life. Today’s run was good, and I am grateful. Here’s to the next run and stopping just short of my limit.
To Read To Write To Be 
You have touched an important message: what are our limits. I need to remember this week. Thank you.
I love how you’re writing about your limits while simultaneously pushing your own in running! I miss running. Can’t wait for the snow to go so I can get back to it!
I am in awe – especially since I have trouble makimng it to the 15 minute level. But, look at all thre great thinking you got in.
Lovely to hear you’re reaching for a balance, Julieanne. I hope you’ll be able to continue this awesome running.
Do you think we ever set limits or understand what they are? It seems like I always want to do more. It seems I always tell myself it is never enough. Lots of thinking here today. Good luck with the continued running…and writing!
I don’t like thinking about my limitations since it makes me feel weak. I have neck/back issues and prefer to think of myself of myself as agile (even though it’s far from the truth).
I love this post. As you ran I felt like I was lost in your thoughts. Nice.
Multi-tasking by running and thinking. And digging into deeper thought so that you actually made your “problem-solving” be your end goal instead of just running. Great advice on reaching a limit and then stretching just a bit more! We don’t know what our limits are YET!