Chargers

We have chargers all over the house...the phones, the kindle, the ipad, the garmon, the shuffle.  I don't even remember what it is like to go to bed without making sure everything is "fully charged" for tomorrow.  Sometimes I wish I could just plug in at night and wake feeling 100% full of energy!  Sure would make getting out of bed a lot easier, especially when I know I have a 20 mile run ahead in the morning!

But something interesting happened to me yesterday - New Year's Day.  I did not greet my alarm at 4:45 a.m. with tons of energy.  Even two cups of coffee wasn't doing the trick.  That's okay, though, I'll meet up with my friends, do the run, and come home having "made it" another step closer to Umstead.  The drive to Key's Gap was quiet as our band of runners shared minimal small talk and deep breaths. The ice on the parking lot had us raising our eyebrows and steeling ourselves to the task ahead.  After more deep breaths and the resignation of what we were about to do, we took off.  And almost immediately, it started.  I felt my energy level rise from the dangerously low "red" to somewhere near "yellow".  With every footfall, every step through the crunchy snow, I felt more invigorated, more alert.  The trail was exactly as clear as it needed to be at the start, not making me think too much as my feet did what they were suppose to do.  As my running got stronger, more snow and ice appeared and it was exciting.  Jumping from rock to rock, sliding down steep hills, grabbing trees to keep upright, suddenly I could not have been more awake - more recharged.  The closer we got to our meeting point with other friends, the faster and more confident I ran.  This feeling continued throughout the run.  At one point, I stopped and took pictures, and could not believe how lucky I was to be experiencing this day - this run - with dear friends.  By the time we had completed our nearly 20 miles, I was ecstatic, feeling happy, calm, confident and so very blessed to have been able plug in to friends, family, and fun to start the New Year fully charged!