I am....... a runner

This morning I dragged my you-know-what out of bed at 6:15. No, not to feed Harrison. No, not because Charlotte had woken early. I was going for a run. Not a long run, but a run. A 5.4km run.

If someone asked me to describe myself, I'd say I was a mother, a wife, a daughter, a sister, a friend, a confidante, an optimist (most of the time), a princess, a queen, a prince, a frog, a horse (all thanks to Charlotte and the games we play), a taxi driver, a personal shopper, a personal chef (in more ways than one), a crafter, a knitter, a lot of things, but never a runner. I don't know why, I just don't consider myself one.

When I go into a shop like The Running Room I feel out of place. Why would someone like me be in there? I feel as if people are looking at me, wondering just that. When I'm running along the roads, down the trails, around Quidi Vidi, and my legs are hurting, my face is red and dripping in sweat, I expect someone at any moment to call out and say "Hey lady, what the hell are you doing?" I think if someone actually did that I'd probably say "I have no idea" and stop, so I'm glad no one has.

So this morning, as I was running around the roads in my area, seeing many people doing the same as me (none of which called out by the way), I wondered to myself why I didn't think of me as a runner.

Here's what I thought. If I wasn't a runner of some description, would I:
1) be running around the neighbourhood at 6:15 in the morning?
2) be running speed intervals during said run at 6:15 in the morning?
3) be looking at the guy ahead of me and wondering if I could catch up and pass him (but didn't attempt because I knew I would then collapse)
4) be thinking that I need a new pair of sneakers that I really can't afford at the moment but my knees can't afford for me not to buy them
5) be registered for the Tely 10 in July (6 weeks 4 days away)
6) be registered for a 1/2 marathon in September

Surprisingly, the answer to all the above was NO! I wouldn't be up at 6:15 dragging my you-know-what to the bathroom let alone around any road in St. John's contemplating catching anyone. No, I wouldn't be thinking about getting a new pair of sneakers and as for The Tely 10 and a 1/2 marathon, no freaking way.

So, I asked myself. Are you a runner? Yes! ...... I can't hear you. Are you a runner? Yes! ...... I still can't hear you. Are you a runner? YES! YES! YES! I AM A RUNNER!  I said to myself, YES, you are a runner. And you should be proud of what you've accomplished in the past 6 months, what you hope to accomplish over the next 6 weeks and what you are planning on accomplishing in September. I said to myself, I'm not planning on getting up early most mornings now to make sure I get all my runs in if I am not a runner. And I need all the support I can get. Especially from me and myself (who would rather be in bed to be quite honest). Although it was me who made the decision yesterday to change our route and run the trails rather than Logy Bay Road, both myself and I thanked me for that one.

But, ultimately, I am the final decision maker in this trio, and I say, we are RUNNERS!!!!! Thankfully, me and myself agree.