Gettin' my run on

There are times when I use frustration and stress to have good runs. There are times when those things work against me, and I wind up swearing and throwing water bottles and crying (and although I try to avoid exposing other people to these meltdowns, sometimes they happen in the presence of amazing friends). After a couple weeks of the latter, I decided to take a break yesterday and to start fresh this morning. I told myself I would wake up early and go for a run when it was still cool. And I told myself I was going to enjoy it - no whining about it being early, or being stiff or being hungry, and no telling myself that I hate running in the morning. I didn't get up QUITE as early as planned, so I had no reason to be annoyed at the time. I tied up my shoes, popped in my earbuds, turned on the iPod, and told myself I couldn't quit until I had run a minimum of 45 minutes. I let myself be ok with running slow, with stopping a couple times for sips of water, but otherwise needed to keep plugging along. The result was a lovely run in the quiet of a Saturday morning. My legs were tired but my breathing was consistent, and most important, I felt confident and calm. 62 minutes and 5.8 miles later, I made it home. I felt happy and reassured and unafraid; ready for big hills and small valleys, peaks and plateaus.