Every Marathon Begins with One Step.

What a glorious day! I feel positively reborn!

One of the schools I've been teaching at is now closed, so I have a bit more time on my hands. This week, I spent that time sleeping and trying to remind myself what my face looks like without dark, deep circles imprinted underneath my eyes. So, today I slept in and I took a nap. It was a lovely thing.

But, I've been missing something more in my life lately: exercise. I haven't exercised for at least two months. So, when my sister called me on the phone today and told me she'd been running, I felt a surge of desire to get back to the fitness scene.

That's right, today I ran for the first time in months and it felt GOOD. My running has, to say the least, suffered in the last two months. Still, I was proud of myself for starting to run again after so long. Now, after running, all I can feel is complete joy and satisfaction - I've rested, and I've rejuvenated. It's fantastic.

Today's run served one simple purpose: do it. So, I didn't want to kill myself. Here's what I did:

5 minute warm-up walk
3 minute run
3 minute walk
3 minute run
5 minute walk
3 minute run
3 minute walk
3 minute run
2 minute cool-down walk

Total running time: 30 minutes

Total distance: 1.86 miles

The weird thing is, the run itself wasn't terrible. It was the tingling running down the back of my behind and around each thigh that was, well, itchy. It felt like my nerves and blood vessels were waking up after a long, long sleep.

And, you know, that's just how I feel today, too. I feel awake after months of dark sleep; I feel alert and alive; I feel happy to be alive. Most of all, though, I feel happy to remember that I am a runner.

Did you hear that, World? I AM A RUNNER!