What a gift!

This morning I went to my strength training class at the gym at 6 a.m. and then came home and made it out on my run by 7:30. It is late start for some of my boys and so I wanted to get it done and be back by the time they had to get up. The temperature was 36 degrees when I left...not too bad. It felt good to be out early in the morning again. My body likes it better and it was awesome to hear the birds in concert. Overall, it was a pretty good run. I still struggled at the beginning, mainly with my lungs, but that is normal for me and by the second mile I was feeling more energy. I tried to push it a little faster today and lengthen my stride. The last few weeks I have just been easing back in at a slow pace. I know I have to start adding some speed. I feel like I can now, since I am feeling much more conditioned. I am still not sure about those tempo runs though. I think I will try those out next week. I did start to feel my knees a little today and it made me realize how blessed I have been to not have to deal with knee problems like so many other runners do. I am so grateful that I have a body that is healthy enough to be able to run and to have the stamina to endure it. It is a huge blessing and I think I take it for granted way too often. Even though my lungs sometimes sting from the pain, I am so blessed to have lungs that are able to withstand the strain they are put through. It is a blessing that not everyone has. I realize it is an enormous gift just to be able to run even a mile. I thank my Heavenly Father for allowing me the privilege of experiencing the amazing and marvelous things these bodies of ours can do. What a gift! Each breathe we inhale is a gift! Each step we take is a gift! I feel so extremely blessed to be able to get up each day and make the choice --in my mind-- if I am going to run or not. I know many people who don't have that blessing. Their body decides for them if they are going to even get out of bed each day or not. My life truly is a wonderful life! Total Distance: 4.57 miles.