I'm Not a Mom, But I'm Awesome

Since I devote a large amount of time to my students, I also try to devote some time to me, too. (If I had kids, I would spend the remainder of my free time on them, but…) So, I've been running lately because there's nothing to keep your mind off of your inabilities like highlighting your abilities. In the last two weeks, I've run two 5K races. I've never been much of a long-distance runner, and clearly remember trying desperately (hiding in the showers was not an option, as our PE teacher could sniff out any deserters) to get out of running the timed 1.5 mile back in middle school. (Ah, those were the days…when we gave a darn about our student's physical fitness level.) But, I've searched and searched for a cheap and easy hobby that I can do at a moment's notice with very little prep work - and running is it.

Not only does running give me a natural "high" that I can't really explain (even if it is talked about in the fitness magazines), but it also gives me something to work for. In this time of uncertainty, running gives me a definite finish line. Sometimes, it even earns me a tangible reward. Last weekend was one of those times. After training for weeks, my friends and I ran a little 5K along the riverwalk in town, and we all PR'd like crazy. I even came in third in my age group (never you mind how many people were in my age group) and received a shiny bronze medal. It was the best reward that I've gotten in the past few months. I worked for it, I earned it, and now it's hanging from my rearview mirror. This is how the world should be: you plan, you work hard, and you earn the things you want. I wish my reproductive system had gotten that memo. Anyway, I may not be a mom, but I think I'm pretty darn awesome. And you are, too.