Lupus and Mumford and Sons = Running Motivation

Today I ran my first long run.  I have been working out slowly and doing the Couch to 5k running program.  I have felt myself getting stronger and my endurance increasing.  I work out three times a week, trying for Monday, Wednesday, and Fridays.  I need to make sure that I have at lease one day of rest between workouts or I am too tired.  I also often take naps on the days that I work out to help me last until bed time.  I am enjoying the time to myself at the gym and Aubrey I think has just as much fun playing in the childcare.  After we drop Emma off at school Aubrey will always ask me, "Mom!  Gym?"  It is so cute.

I was pleasantly surprised today how well my long run went.  I ran for 20 minutes non stop (which for me is a little over 1.5 miles).  It felt good and when I was getting towards the end where I was beginning to tire a thought popped into my head.  It was such a motivational thought that it completely carried me through to the end. 

I have Lupus.  This time last year I could barely walk at the end of the day, hold Aubrey or just function as a wife and mother.  It is a privilege to run.  It is a privilege to be able to run and I am going to quit being a baby and run!  And I will continue to run until Lupus hits me again.  When that happens I will recover, again, and I will start all over.  God has given me the ability to run and I will!

This thought coupled with this song by the Mumford and Sons took me to the end of the run.  I was so inspired that I probably could have kept running but I did not want to over do it:)

Tonight I am grateful

for my medications

my doctors

for gym daycare

for a husband that is so encouraging

for my new mp3 player

for Mumford and Sons music

for my increasing strength

that I can run

and for a God that saw fit to give all of those things to me