I am not fast. I am not lean. I don’t run every day. Some runs are good, more are bad. It’s hard. It’s hard on my body. It’s hard on my mind. But I am a runner and I will keep going.

I was feeling pretty down going into the Best Damn Race 10k. I was only running once a week, partly because of my shin, mostly because my motivation waned. I got as far as 4.5 miles and that was close enough. I slowed down. I lost the little strength I had. But I was going to do it, and I did.

It was a cool, misty morning in Orlando and despite choosing not to wear my compression sleeve (not the best decision) it went OK. I finished 11 seconds faster than my last 10k. But it wasn’t about my time in the end, there is something about that race that made me remember why I’m doing this, and that I want to keep doing it. Maybe it’s just that it was my first half and will always hold a special place in my heart. Maybe it’s the course, or the people, whatever it is, I left motivated.

And so I keep going. I will start running regularly again. I will start slow and I will focus on being better, being stronger, and hopefully getting faster with time. I signed up for a local 5k to give me a goal.

I am a runner and I am human. There will be good days runs and bad days runs, it’s what you do about it that matters.