Yahoo!! I Ran 32 minutes!!

Yahoo - Olive Leaf is working - within just 2 days of feeling less than 100%, I wake up this morning feeling a lot better.  I had set my alarm for 7am, with a plan to run.  I wake up at 6.58am, turn off my alarm (before it makes the buzzing sound), and lie there for a few minutes, visualising me running.  I feel a few obstacles coming up in my mind - yet I stay true to my Vision of Running, and enjoy the view in my mind's eye.

It was easy to get out of bed, as I was excited to get out there and run again.

I have my running clothes handy - which is great, as it means that as soon as I get up, I am quick to get dressed and I am ready to go - no excuses or time delays trying to find my running top, my singlet, socks, tights, long sleeve top (layering up for the cool weather, knowing that as soon as I've run 5-10 minutes, I will be tying my long sleeve top around my waist).

I walk down the outside staircase, the Yellow staircase - and as soon as I reach the bottom of the stairs, I am off running - leaving home at 7.43am - so I start the official minute count from 7.44am (despite my more laid back attitude around running, I am still taking this seriously and wanting to keep track of actual minutes - I probably should wear a watch, rather than using the time on my phone - anyway...).  I decide today that I will just trust my intuition, let my intuition guide me - so I feel guided to run up the street (rather than down the street which is the usual direction of my run).  And I am happy to see a small light brown bunny in a house across the road - so cute - a great surprise on Easter Monday.

I am so happy running - so happy!  I get into the rhythm and just relax into a comfortable pace.  I feel my intuition guiding me to run across the road, up and down the streets - each time I come to a cross road, I just ask my body - where should I go now - and I feel guided to choose the way forward.  It's nice just being in the flow, not actually having the whole run planned out, or knowing the exact way - it is making the journey more interesting - and less pressured. 

I find myself guided in and out of different streets, enjoying the beautiful Trees and Flowers that line the roads.

I am then delighted to see a lady on her balcony (in a Yellow t-shirt) so happy and smiley - two magpies fly on her balcony and she happily feeds them.  I have mixed emotions about feeding wild birds - mainly because I feel that it may make them dependent on being fed from humans, rather than naturally sourcing their own food - however, I do love birds and I do have fond memories of feeding kookaburras on the baclony of a holiday house when I was a young girl (and now just love kookaburras) and seeing a bird lover in action is just beautiful.  Especially, in this moment, where I am accustomed to seeing rosellas or cockatoos or kookaburras on balconies- yet here is this happy woman, happily feeding magpies (who I have always associated as scary after being swooped a few times and once hit on the head by a magpie when running).  And what I loved was when she happily sung out to me - "Aren't they just gorgeous?"- I smiled and agreed - loving that she had seen the beauty in these birds - and in that moment, she was shining, she was alive with beauty.

I kept running - feeling energised.  That's what I love about running outside - there are so many sights to inspire and delight - and give me energy. 

And then, just as I was feeling the glow of happiness, I found myself drawn up the street of where someone from my past 'Used To' live - I 'Used To' love him.  I wasn't sure why I had been drawn up this street - there was a slight incline up the street, so I climbed up the hill, knowing that the apartment was at the end of the road.  I am lost in thought - yet grateful when a fellow runner says a bright, happy Spread The Yellow hello - which takes me out of my overthinking.  I run past the apartment, and I was pleasantly surprised that I felt no sadness or attachment, or emotion.  Finally... finally... I feel free.  I had been devastated when he chose someone else to love, I so desperately wanted him to choose me.  I loved him deeply.  But the love was one-sided, and I felt such deep sorrow and pain - I kept wishing he would see me, spend more time with me, open his heart to me - "if only"...  And yet, I can now see that my life would have been so different had he chosen me.  I can now see that our paths had crossed for a brief moment in time, all the hurt and pain had helped me on my journey - and I can now send them love and light.  And best of all, after all the pain and heartbreak, and tears and aloneness and loneliness, I can now rejoice in feeling love.  Feeling love that is now reciprocated - in loving and feeling loved, I have found a love greater than I could imagine - I am happy, I have found peace, I love the sense of being home with another.

So with all those feelings and thoughts I find myself running along the beach, happy, free.  I am also blessed to enjoy the beautiful Yellow daisies that are plentiful along the side of the concrete path.  I just love daisies - they are so plentiful and beautiful - yet it is easy to be walking, to be busily walking in conversation and thought, and not notice the beauty of the daisy.  Daisy comes from "day's eye" as the flower is only open during the day and closes up at night.  I love that about daisies - I love that they rest at night - and love that the daisies open and blossom with the sun.

I look up tonight the meaning of 'daisy' on Google - the flower symbolism associated with the daisy is purity, innocence, loyal love, beauty, patience and simplicity.

So back to my run... I am feeling inspired, uplifted - after feeling the energy from this Wall of Yellow flowers.  All this time I have not looked at the time on my phone - I am not sure how long I have been running - that's what I love about being in the flow, and being in the moment, and doing what you love - losing consciousness of the sense of time.  I feel inspired to check the time, to take a moment of celebration for how far I have travelled, how long I have been running - and to also see how long I have been running and how close I am to my Goal of beating 22 minutes (the time of my last run - where my Goal is to progressively improve and add minutes on each time).  I am so surprised when it is 8.17am - very surprised that I have been running for 23 minutes - I can't believe I have just reached my Goal, so easily - interesting that I trusted my 'gut' to check the time at that exact time...

I feel inspired to keep running, and feel a pull to run up the stairs - great - I was enjoying the coast along the straight, flat path - so I power up the stairs, 10, 20, 30 maybe 40 stairs - yes, feel great!!! 

I decide to be focused this second half of the run - I select a destination - I will run along the beach, and the finish line will be the drink bubbler at the end of the park - so I stay focused and run, run, run - then as I am getting close to the finish line, maybe 100 metres to go, I pick up the pace and start to sprint, imagining myself being in the Olympics, visualising my Dad (who always loved coming to watch me run) being at the finish line - so I sprint and I give it my all, and I reach the destination - out of breathe, happy - I check my phone time -Yahoo!! I Ran 32 minutes!!

I feel fantastic that I have run - I just love running.  I walk home, happy, stopping to talk to some friends, getting inspired by looking at logos on business signs - checking in for some insights for my own business.  I walk home, smiling - and I am feeling so inspired.  I am so inspired, and so energetic - that I am successful in kicking other Goals that are important to me - my College assignment and a good portion of the pre-reading for my Course next week. 

Running definitely makes a difference in my life... I am so grateful that I can run...