Ever since I started running in May of 2007, there have been a multitude of lessons that I’ve had to learn. I have no doubt that all of this has helped to build my maturity levels. I expected that it would definitely give me a greater sense of self-confidence, and would make me more fit. There are a couple of things that were unexpected though. In particular, the one thing that I’m thinking about right now is my increased level of body awareness. It’s been stressed to me many times over these years that I need to listen to my body. And now I’m passing it on to the people that I’m teaching.

So, today was our scheduled Resolution Run. I participated in the run in the past two years and was intent on doing it again. I paid my fees early on and picked up my “free” running jacket after Tuesday’s run. Frankly, I think I look awesome in the jacket, but that’s besides the point. Anyway, when I got home that night, I noticed that my left calf was feeling weird. It felt as if I had pulled a muscle or tore something. It wasn’t a good feeling at all. I decided to just rest the leg and see how it would feel by the time the morning came around. Unfortunately for me, when I woke up the calf felt worse. The pain was very localized and really only manifested itself when I tried to flex my calf. Go figure. Well, that night I had hill training scheduled. After weighing my alternatives, I decided that I was in no condition to run hills with my issue. Hill training is pretty vigorous, and I knew that if I did it I’d probably aggravate it all. So, I emailed all of my group leaders to make sure that at least one of them would be there to guide the rest of the class. In the end, I knew that everyone would manage without me.

So, along came today. My leg was feeling a little bit better. The pain went from being sharp and localized to feeling like a bruise. Thing is, the day prior my right knee started hurting. I think my body was busy compensating for the bad left leg and somehow caused a misalignment on my right side. Given that the Resolution Run isn’t timed and wasn’t meant to be hardcore, I was tempted to run through the pain. I probably could have, too. Ultimately though I decided that the smart thing to do would be to just not participate in the run itself. Seeing as how I’d already paid the fee, I decided that the best thing to do would be to show up early and volunteer; they always need people to marshal these things. So, I brought my camera and headed for the Running Room early on. I was given my station, and that was that. I spent most of my time taking photos of everyone that passed by. I got plenty of great shots. I made sure to smile and cheer everyone one in the attempt to get everyone to really look dynamic in the photos. I’ve actually uploaded my photos for the event to my gallery. You can check them out here: Resolution Run 2010. The whole time, my fingers were exposed to the cold winds just so that I could get a proper hold of my camera. Sure, I was cold, but I didn’t mind. Despite the fact that I wasn’t participating as a runner, I had a great time out there. I was just happy to see so many friendly faces out there starting the year off with the resolve to have a healthier lifestyle. It’s great, you know. I’m entirely glad that I listened to my body. I wouldn’t have experienced what I did today if I’d forced my way through the discomfort. It’s not a matter of quitting. It’s more a matter of intelligent training. It’s important to take the time to heal.