Reliving the past

Since I’m getting rather frustrated at my running performances lately, I decided to live in the past. OK, not really. Just relive some of it. Specifically, those wonderful running moments that seem so far away right now.

Take, for example, the Florida Beach Halfathon and 5K race on March 18 (I ran the 5K).

I love this picture for many reasons, including: 

1. I’m with my best running buddy, Caroline. 
2. We had someone at the race to take our picture. The first 5K we did together, we had no one – no one to take our picture or cheer us on (besides Ronald McDonald, but I don’t think he was there just for us). We even had to stash our stuff in the bushes because no one was there to hold it. So, it’s so nice to think back and remember that at this race, we had three people and a dog watch us run. 
3. The sun is just starting to come up. Look at how darn dedicated we are! We woke up before the sun to run in a race. Plus, the just-before-sunrise period provides excellent lighting for photos. 
4. I love remembering this race. It was on the beach. Well, not technically on the beach (no sand running, thank goodness), but on trails around the beach. So, a lovely setting. And, it was easy. I never thought I’d ever say this about any running event, but this one was so smooth. As I neared the finish line, I thought: “This is it?” I felt like I could have run miles more than I did. I had the realization that this running thing was finally starting to click, and I could go farther and faster. Exciting stuff for a former non-running girl! 
5. My red hair. I don’t like my hair red, but I do like to look different. Having the same hair color all the time is boring. So, even though it wasn’t my favorite shade, it’s fun to look back and look different.

Since I feel like I’ve digressed since this photo, I tried to think about the differences between then and now. The only things I came up with (besides having a different hair color): heat and humidity. It was actually cool that morning. So, maybe those people do know what they’re talking about. Maybe I will run better and feel better when it’s cooler. I sure hope so.