The game has changed

Have you ever had an "ah-ha" moment?  One where the answer is so blatantly staring you in the face that it essentially thumps you over the head?  No lightbulb, just a good smack upside the head. 

I had one yesterday and it was a doozie!

I was having one of those days, not just a Monday where you are playing catch-up from the weekend, it was a day of hellish proportions.  More work than I could possibly do in the span of a normal work day, pressure and deadlines looming overhead, and more problems than I've had to deal with before.  It was so crazy busy that lunch was spent in front of my computer and consisted of a protein bar, banana and V-8.

I left work feeling stressed, strung out and anxious.  I was in a witchy mood and had a nasty attitude.  I needed to decompress and fast!  Normally I would go home and pour myself a glass of wine and relax, while ranting and raving about my day to friends.

This time it was different, this time the last thing I wanted to do was drink a glass of wine and relax on the couch.  I've been sitting all day and I couldn't even stand sitting in my car during the rush hour traffic to get home.  I needed to move, I needed to break out of this funk...I needed to run.  Now to fill you in on some background, I take lunch time runs especially during the winter when there is daylight and it helps me to decompress from the stress during the day.  I would feel refreshed and much less stressed the rest of the day.  I wanted to take one during my lunch on Monday, but with the pile of work I had, that just wasn't an option.

So when I got home, I could not get my running clothes on fast enough.  I paused for a couple of minutes to give my hubby a hug and kiss, but then I was throwing my running shoes on and walking out the door.  (Sorry I didn't take a picture, I was decked out in purple, black and white, I looked pretty badass actually.)  I couldn't wait to get moving and I got down the street and started running.  The breathing fell into place, the pace was good and I was pushing it, turning all that stress into my running energy.  And I was flying!  I attacked the hills and pushed myself to go farther than I thought I was going to.

I finished the run and felt a million times better.  I left all that bad stuff and stress out on the road and was spent when I got home.  I took a nice hot shower and put on my pro compression socks to help my calves recover from my cathartic run.

This day was a game changer for me.  I have officially crossed a bridge.  Or turned a corner, or whatever you call it.  My body no longer wants to engage in my old habits to decompress, it wants to sort out my stress and stomp it by running it out.  Release any anxiety and lose myself in the footsteps on the road.  I couldn't be happier with this revelation and know that this is a much healthier way to deal with issues and stress in life.  I was more relaxed the rest of the evening and I woke up feeling better and in a good mood (regardless of the lack of sleep I'd gotten last night).  I'm thrilled with this turn of events and really can't wait to spend more time on the road.  This is a happy hour I could definitely get used to! :)