Grateful

Living in a first world country and in the bubble that is central Austin, it is really difficult at times to be cognizant of just how extremely lucky most of us are and to take time out to be grateful for all the things, people and experiences in our lives.  If you aren't living in a part of the world where your next meal may not come for days or where your life is in danger every minute of the day, ironically, it takes real effort to make time in your day to stop and just be grateful.  I guess the first thing we should be grateful for is the fact that we even have the luxury of not having time to be grateful!  So, I could go through a litany of things, people and experiences that I am grateful for, but since this blog is about running, I will try to focus on that today.  I was supposed to be heading out to Big Bend this weekend for the 50K race they have out there every year.  It is a super fun weekend with great friends, lots of laughs, much drinking, and a beautiful course through the enormous and beautiful Big Bend park  (admittedly rather than relishing the moments last year, I spent the vast majority of my time on the course being obsessively paranoid about mountain lions).  I wasn't ready to "race" the 50K this year, but I wanted to show up to stay "consistent" with my commitment and to see some really great (and HILARIOUS) friends who all go out to run this race.  About mid-week my husband got super busy at work and it just didn't look like the 8-10 hour drive (depending on how much law breaking we were going to be doing) was going to happen.  I have to admit, I was a little bummed although feeling a little less anxious about all the planning and arranging that goes into leaving 3 kids for 4 days too - total mixed bag.  I was telling one of my very best girlfriends about the change of plans and that I would just run with my usual crew on Saturday to get a semi-long run in, finishing out Week 3 with around 50 miles.  Her response:  "You are are very lucky your legs allow you to do that kind of mileage; my legs would hate me."  She's right, I am very lucky, not just that I can go from low mileage to some relatively decent mileage, but that I can (meaning I am ABLE) to run at all.  I saw a woman on the trail today with a prosthetic leg.  She was out there getting it done like a BOSS!  So, today, I am taking a few minutes out of my morning to truly be grateful for the gifts of today -  I am grateful for the fact that I didn't have to wake up at 4am to run long this morning; that I had 2 funny, story-telling friends to entertain me for a little over 15 miles this morning; that the sun was shinning and the weather was ridiculously gorgeous; that I will spend time with my husband today (alone - a rarity!); that I have a mother that is young and energetic enough to take care of 3 kids while I spend time with my husband; and for the fact that I have the luxury of sitting here with my coffee taking a few minutes out of my day to even think about these things...

                                          The Guys - Big Bend 50K - January 2013