Perspective

After a rough few weeks in regard to running, including a half marathon that included a stop at the med tent at mile 6.5 on what was supposed to be a 1:32 half PR, I've been especially hating diabetes.  Sometimes having it just sucks - and there is no other way to put it, but especially so when it derails my plans.

Today I opted to run a little later in the morning instead of in the 30* weather.  On the schedule was a "long" run of 10 miles, which was broken down into a 1 mile warm-up, 8 mile MGP run (7:37 pace) and a 1-mile cool-down.  As I got out of my car and waited for my satellites to load, I looked at the beauty around me.  I could see flowers rapidly moving in the wind, and a bright blue sky.  It was incredibly windy, but a good day to run.

A few steps into my run I had to stop and wait for a car before I crossed the street and continued to run on the path.  As I waited for the car, I noticed two people on the other side of the street.  One man was wearing a Boston Marathon shirt from this year, and was talking to another man.  Not really thinking much of it, I looked down at my watch to see that it was paused.  It was then that I realized the other man.  He had a prosthetic leg.

After the car passed, I ran by, saying hi to both men on the way by.  As I ran 1 mile out, I thought about how different life would be without one of my legs.  How much harder running would be.  Could I even bike?  Everything would be different.  And as I turned around and hit the 2-mile mark, I saw the man running by me the opposite direction and said "hi" again.

I am constantly amazed by other people.  This man was out on the prairie path today running, just like me.  However, although I am 100% positive he does not know it, he changed my perspective.  Did the run today go as planned?  No, not in the least bit.  I had a low blood sugar around mile 6 and ended up running an over pace of 8:00 miles, instead of 7:45.  But I could care less because I could still use my legs to run.  It made me thankful that the majority of my body does work well.

This run today was more than just a run, but helped me gain perspective of the good things in life, and to be thankful for what I do have.