I just ran a marathon.....

Or at least I feel like I did. And I would know. You see, in my previous life, i.e. before husband and children, I was almost a different person. I ran 4-5 times a week. I was much thinner, much healthier, and in much better shape. I ran the Chicago Marathon in 2000, and then promptly stopped running and haven't run since then. Until today.
Now I'm not even going to tell you how much heavier I am today than I was the last time I ran. Let's just say that if it were my age, I'd be a senior citizen. And speaking of age, I'm in a completely different decade of my life than I was then. It makes a difference, oh yes mam, it does.
So today I laced up my running shoes and headed to the park with my family in tow. The plan was to walk a mile or two while my hubby road his bike, pulling the girls in the trailer. But there's something you should know about me. Something that used to be a bigger part of my life, but has been buried deep beneath the years of mothering young children and being tired all of the time. I'm highly determined and extremely competitive. And there's no bigger competitor than myself.
Praise the Lord it's been cooler today, and that must have been what inspired me to walk 3.5 miles today. That and the fact that I've been absolutely obsessed with the trail maps that are posted along the path. You see, somewhere in the back of my crazy head is this little voice that says, "You know you are going to walk the whole trail someday. You know it's 7.5 miles, but considering what you've done in the past, that's nothing!" But the thing is, I don't want to take the time to get back into shape to do it. In my mind, I've done it before, and I should be able to do it now.
Well I settled today for doing half of the trail. But I couldn't just walk it. NOOOO mam, I had to run part of it. I just threw all caution to the wind and decided to add some running intervals into the mix. And you know what? I felt great. It was challenging, yes, but what a feeling of accomplishment! I know it was only 3.5 miles, but as I ran/walked those miles, I started to get visions of the marathon again. I remembered the rush of excitement that I felt that day. I remember how my body seemed to just "work" like it was meant to work. And I'm craving it again.
So what'll it be next? 4 miles? 5? I don't know. After the ride home in the car, my legs are stiff, my body is tired. I'm just not 25 years old anymore. But I'm determined. I've had a taste of the "old" me, and the "new" me wants to change. Who knows, maybe I'll even do a marathon again some day!